New Beginnings
by AnonymousMT
Summary: Albus Potter and Rose Weasley start their first year at Hogwarts, and along their journey through school, they make friends and enemies alike. After discovering some interesting news about one of those friends, they have to solve a mystery and eventually save themselves from unsuspected danger. Romance to be added in their second or third year.
1. Chapter 1

Albus looked out through the window of the Hogwarts Express, waving at his family who were slowly getting further and further away from them. He sighed as he pulled himself back into the compartment, and was greeted by his brother James, and his cousin Rose.

"Hey, Al, you wanna go bother Victoire?" James asked excitedly. Rose looked at him disapprovingly.

"Leave them be, James. How would you like it if you had a perfectly acceptable relationship and somebody kept pestering you about it?" Rose said, pulling her hair back into a ponytail subconsciously, and then immediately taking it out again.

"That's not the point Rose. How about it, Al?" James stared at him grinning, looking as if he was about to bounce out of his seat at any second. Albus smiled back, getting to his feet.

"Yeah, alright. Let's go then-" But before he could finish, James had lept from the compartment began to run down the hallway, yelling behind him.

"Last one there's a blast-ended skrewt!" Albus nearly tripped trying to speed up so quickly, but managed to keep his balance. He was racing down the hallway, getting closer and closer to James, almost reaching him when-

"Wha-!?"

Albus felt himself slam into someone, and the two of them fell together to the ground. He looked round. Beside him sat a girl, glaring at him.

"What was that for?!" She asked, rubbing her shoulder.

"Sorry," he started, when James interrupted, having heard the commotion.

"You alright there, Al?" James asked, staring at the both of them. Albus got to his feet and held out his hand for the girl he had hit.

"Sorry," Albus started again, "I didn't see you." The girl, who looked no older than Albus himself, had wavy black hair that hung down to her mid-back. She has soft facial features, very light skin, set with grey eyes. She smiled weakly and took his hand. "That's alright, I suppose." She looked from Albus to James. Albus noted how she seemed to cower from them ever so slightly, like she was mildly uncomfortable being in their presence.

"Um... I'm Albus." Al said, not knowing if he should introduce his brother or not.

"Sindra," she replied, staring down at the floor where a glass hair clip lay broken. She bent down and picked up the pieces, looking miserable.

"Oi, don't look so glum," James said, putting his hand on her shoulder. She flinched. "I can fix that. What are you, Muggle-born?" She stared at James seriously.

"Yes."

"Oh. Well. Come with us then," James finished. She obliged, though rather gloomily. But all the same, she let them lead her back into the compartment where Rose was waiting for them.

"Oh, you're back! Well i hope you're happy with what you've- Oh, hello!" Rose grinned at Sindra. James sat down and motioned for her to sit beside Rose. She did so, a bit of a smile sneaking up on her face.

"Alright, go ahead and put the pieces there. Good. Okay then," he rummaged through his robes and pulled out his wand. "Reparo!" He tapped the hair clip, and with a glow of red light, the glass had mended itself back together. "There you are. Good as new." James pocketed his wand and crossed his arms, sitting back triumphantly in his seat. Sindra picked the clip up gently and looked at it closely, as if she was scared it would break apart at any second. Suddenly, she grinning widely, pulling half her hair back with the clip, leaving the rest hanging down.

"Thank you, uh…" her smile faltered slightly as she looked at James. Albus suddenly remembered he'd never introduced them.

"I'm James." James said. "And this is Rose, our cousin. Rose, this is Sindra." Rose was still smiling.

"Nice to meet you, Sindra." Rose said. James continued.

"And of course you already met Albus." Sindra looked from one smiling face to the other, and finally seemed to relax.

"It's really nice to meet you all." Sindra said. With introductions now over, Rose seemed comfortable enough to begin berating her cousins again.

"Really, though. It's a wonder an irresponsible dummy like you could get sorted into Gryffindor house."

Sindra looked at her curiously. "House?" James laughed.

"Do you know anything about Hogwarts?" Sindra shook her head, fiddling with her fingers.

"Nothing besides its odd name." Albus looked at her incredulously.

"Really-?" Albus started, but James but him off.

"Hogwarts has 4 houses that you get can get placed in. It determines where you sleep, who you take your classes with, who you eat with, and basically who you spend most of your time with." he said, smiling at Sindra. Before James could continue, Albus interrupted.

"There's Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. It doesn't matter which one you get placed in becau-"

"But Slytherin is obviously the worst house because everyone there is a bunch of-"

"Getting sorted is the fun part, you get to put a hat on your head that talks, and-"

"And Gryffindor is by FAR the best house, our whole fami-"

"James, don't act so biased!" Albus said, turning to slap his older brother on the back of the head.

James, however, ducked and swiftly grabbed his younger brother around the neck with his arm, ruffling his hair. "You're just scared you might get placed in Slytherin," he taunted.

Sindra was laughing. "They all sound wonderful. Whatever house I get in, I hope it's with you guys."

Albus pulled away from his brother. James pointed at the red and gold scarf around his neck. "I've already been placed in Gryffindor," he said. "It only you Al, and Rose that have something to worry about."

Sindra smiled, and opened her mouth to respond.

Seemingly out of nowhere, James threw a sandwich at Rose. "From Grandma Molly." Rose, who had not expected a sandwich to come flying at her, squealed and ducked, letting the sandwich slap against the wall behind her. It then fell, almost in slow motion, onto her red mop of a head. They all burst into laughter.

"Good catch, Rose," said James. "You'll be replacing my mum as Chaser on the Harpies soon enough..."

Rose stuck her tongue out at James as she pried the sandwich out of her hair. "Speaking of Quidditch, my dad says the Chudley Cannons are gonna have a good run this year," Rose said, taking a bite out of the sandwich that had been thrown at her. James and Albus both laughed.

"Uncle Ron says that every season! Realistically, we all know the Chudley Cannons aren't going to win until they change up their whole team. Now, the Holyhead Harpies I think have a REAL chance this time. You know, having the greatest Chaser of all time, and all." James said, puffing out his chest.

Rose laughed. "I will admit I would love for Aunt Ginny to go to the Quidditch World Cup. Would we get free tickets, do you think?"

"What's Quidditch?"

Everyone turned to Sindra. Albus had completely forgotten that she was a Muggle-born, and realized that she probably hadn't been following the conversation at all for a while. James, however, looked as if she had just informed him that she'd never heard of ice cream. Looking quite serious, he stared solemnly into her eyes and said in a low voice, "Quidditch is the best sport ever invented."

Albus snorted, breaking the sudden silence. James glared at him briefly, and then looked back at Sindra, letting his excitement bubble out as he continued, "Quidditch is what makes the wizarding world go round! Every country in the world-" he motioned towards the window, which showed hillsides dotted with houses whizzing past, "-loves Quidditch. Wizards everywhere gather once a year at the World Cup to witness the best teams compete."

Sindra looked nonplussed. "Okay...does it have a ball then? Is it sort of like football?"

James was about to reply when Rose interrupted him, surprise evident on her face. "My grandpa's a huge football fan! How do you know about football?"

"For the same reason she doesn't know about Quidditch, Rose," interjected Albus. "She's Muggle-born."

Rose looked puzzled. "But, with a name like Sindra? That doesn't sound like a Muggle name to me."

"Well actually," Sindra said, "My parents chose my name by combining two different ones together. My dad wanted to name me Cindy, and my mother wanted Sandra. In the end, they went with Sindra. It's close enough for my mum, and my dad still calls me Sindy…" She trailed off, noticing how the others were staring at her. "What?" She asked, scooting back into the seat uncomfortably.

"What an odd thing to do!" Rose said, laughing. "Do Muggles do that a lot?" she asked, looking genuinely curious.

Sindra smiled. "No, not exactly-"

She was interrupted by the sound of the compartment door opening, as the lady with the lunch trolley came by to offer food. The rest of the train ride passed in happy discussion of their future school year at Hogwarts, with Albus, James, and Rose answering as many of Sindra's questions as she could think of.

A loud screeching sound several hours later indicated that the Hogwarts Express was pulling into Hogsmeade Station. "Ah, we're finally here!" James said excitedly, twisting to stare out of the dark window. He was evidently looking for something, or someone, on the platform. "Now listen you three," he continued as he turned around and looked up to see them beginning to gather their things, "Hagrid's going to bring you to the boats. I'm not coming with you, because second years take the carriages." He grabbed his trunk and pushed it towards the door. As he hurried out, he yelled back to them, "See you later - good luck getting sorted!"

Albus, Rose, and Sindra exited the compartment more slowly, and got stuck in the line of students crowding the train's central corridor. Just as they were leaving, Sindra turned to ask Albus, "So, who is this Hag- aaah!"

Sindra had stopped dead with her mouth agape, causing a slight hold-up for the students behind her. They had just stepped off the train to see an eleven foot tall half-giant standing on the platform, waving his arm vigorously in their direction.

Albus was laughing as he said, "Hey, Hagrid!" He and Rose ran toward the man, dragging Sindra along with them.

"Hello there!" Hagrid boomed, hugging Albus. Albus tried not to grimace while Hagrid squeezed him a little too tightly for comfort. "Oh, an' Rosie is here too. Yer first year already, huh?"

Rose looked up, smiling. "We missed you, Hagrid! It's been awhile since you came to visit!"

Hagrid chuckled. "Well I had plans this summer, yeh know. Got to get all the magical creatures ready fer this year's lessons, yeh know."

Sindra had finally closed her mouth, but she was still staring. Rose ushered her forward, and introduced her. "This is Sindra, apparently Al ran into her on the train."

Hagrid smiled down at her. "It's good to meet yeh, Sindra." he said. Sindra nodded in agreement, still too much in awe of Hagrid's stature for words.

Just then, Hagrid seemed to realize what he was supposed to be doing. "Er... FIRST YEARS, THIS WAY!" he bellowed, and Albus, Rose, and Sindra quickly throw their hands over their ears.

Slowly but surely, a crowd of people began forming around them, all dressed in the same black robes. "Right, this way!" Hagrid called out, beckoning the students to follow him. They made their way from the station and down a damp path to a small dock on the side of a large lake. In the reflection of the water, small orange and yellow lights glowed softly, moving with the relaxed ripples of the dark liquid. Albus followed the lights to their original source, Hogwarts Castle. It sat on its cliff, glorious and undisturbed, the moon peeking out from behind a tall tower.

"Whoa…" he breathed, his eyes scanning the magnificent castle. Rose and Sindra had just stopped next to him.

"Let's grab a boat together," Rose said, as she pulled them towards an empty boat. They suddenly heard someone clearing their throat loudly behind them. Albus turned around as he stepped into the boat to see someone he didn't recognize, a short brunette with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. The girl's brown eyes were staring up at them with a mixture of anger and annoyance. Apparently the three of them had brushed right past her as they clambered into the boat that they thought was unclaimed.

"Well, come on then," Albus said to her, and they watched as the girl sat in the boat beside them. She didn't say anything, so they all sat in an awkward silence until the boats began to move toward the school.

After a few minutes, it seemed that Rose couldn't bear the silence any longer. "So, what's your name then?" she asked the other girl, and Albus could tell she was trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

The girl glanced quickly over at Rose, and then turned away. "Henrietta."

Rose turned to Albus and rolled her eyes, muttering, "Somebody's got a wand stuck up their a-"

Albus quickly slapped his hand over his cousin's mouth, but he couldn't stifle his own quiet snort of laughter quickly enough.

It seemed that Henrietta had heard Rose and Albus, as she gave them a second swift glance in their direction before turning away for the rest of the trip. This time there was unmistakable haughtiness in her eyes.

Sindra had tried to keep her eyes averted during most of this interaction, deciding to pretend to be very interested in the ripples that the boat was making in the black water. When the boats finally reached the other side of the lake, the students all clambered out onto the docks and began to follow Hagrid up flights of narrow stairs, single file. Henrietta had left their boat quickly, without another word to the three of them. Albus and Rose did not seem bothered by her. They were clearly excited, giggling and whispering into each other's ears. Behind them, Sindra nervously grasped at the stone railings, pulling herself up the stairs. The awkward boat trip had made her uncomfortable, and some of her fears about entering the magical world had begun to resurface. After what seemed like forever, they reached a clearing and walked through a stone courtyard that led into the castle. They had made it to Hogwarts.


	2. Chapter 2

The first years now all gathered in the main entranceway, Hagrid turned to speak.

"'Alright," he began, scanning the children and smiling down at them all. "Now yeh just wait here for Professor Longbottom to come getcha." And he left them to mingle alone. Rose turned to Sindra and Albus.

"I can't wait, Al!" Rose squealed with excitement, watching him nod enthusiastically. Sindra pulled at her fingers nervously.

"So how do you get sorted, exactly?" She asked. Rose looked surprised for a second, but then seemed to remember.

"Oh, well it's easy really, you just go up and the hat tell you where to go." Rose answered, as if it was normal for a hat to tell people things. Sindra stared at her blankly.

"...What?" She asked. But before Rose or Albus could say anything more, a friendly voice called out to them.

"Hello, First Years! I'm Professor Longbottom," Sindra looked up to see a tall man with dark brown hair and a very warm smile looking around at them all. He wasn't overly handsome, nor was he ugly, but he looked like the type of person you could trust with anything. He continued, "In just a few moments, I will bring you through these doors," he motioned toward the large doors behind him, "And we'll walk up the the front of the hall. When we get up there, I'll call your out your name, and when you're called, you'll take a seat and get sorted. Alright? Okay, let's go!" And before any of the students had time to object, he opened the doors.

Instantly the sound of talking burst from the room. As they began to walk in however, it died down, until it was so silent Sindra could hear her own footsteps. She looked down at her feet nervously, watching them go back and forth. It wasn't until she felt a warm hand touch hers until she turned with a start, locking eyes with Rose, who had grasped her hand.

"Look up, Sin." Rose whispered. Sindra did as she was told, and to her amazement, saw the night sky, filled with stars. There were candles floating all around above them, and large tapestries with embroidered with a giant golden "H"'s hanging from the sky, as if by magic. Which, Sindra reminded herself, probably was the case. The group came to a halt, and watched as Professor Longbottom walk up to a small wooden stool with an extremely old hat on top of it. With a flick of his wand, a list appeared before the professor, hovering in mid-air. He grabbed the hat with his right hand, holding it over the seat, and called the first name.

"Abbott, George." A small boy with mousy brown hair shuffled nervously to the chair. When he sat, Professor Longbottom placed the hat on his head. It immediately sprung to life, and Sindra watched as the hat seemed to gently toss the boy's head around side to side. And then, it spoke.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" Sindra was so surprised to hear the hat speak she jumped slightly in place. Rose squeezed her hand lightly, and Sindra looked over, having completely forgotten she and Rose were holding hands.

"Thanks, Rose…" She murmured.

"Don't mention it." Rose smiled back.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Albus, who stood in front of them, turned his head.

"What are you two talking about?" He asked, looking from one to the other. Rose merely stuck her tongue out at him, and he rolled his eyes, going back to watching the sorting unfold.

"Bates, Sindra." Professor Longbottom said, searching out among the crowd. Sindra froze, squeezing Rose's hand so hard she felt the girl gasp in pain. Quickly she removed her hand, gave Rose an apologetic look, and began to walk as quickly as she could to the stool, not daring to look anywhere else but at her destination. She sat upon it, and looked out, feeling her body freeze up again as the whole school looked upon her. As soon as the hat touched her head, a voice boomed inside her head.

"Ahhh, a black, huh? Hmmm… I see some real potential in you. Yes, yes… Let's see… You could do well in Ravenclaw, but no, perhaps… Gryffindor would suit you, and yet… It must be-" "SLYTHERIN!" This time, the voice called from outside her head. Shaking, she removed the hat from her head and handed it the the professor, who smiled at her. She got down from the stool, and gave one last look at all the students. She thought she saw James looking crestfallen at her, but she supposed it could have been anyone.

Having been the first to be sorted into Slytherin, it was easy for her to find a seat. She sat down at the end table, and began to be patted on the back and have her hand shaken by random strangers, all looking very excited to have her be there. She didn't say anything, instead looking back at the wooden stool, who now sat Henrietta.

"RAVENCLAW!" The hat yelled, and Henrietta got down from the chair and walked to her table. Sindra noticed how her fellow Ravenclaws were attempting to make the same greeting the Slytherins had for her, but she merely nodded at them in mild appreciation. Confused, the Ravenclaws backed off from her, whispering among themselves. Sindra turned away from her to watch faithfully, waiting desperately for Rose or Albus to go up. She scorned herself for not asking what their last name was.

"SLYTHERIN!" Sindra straightened up in her seat, watching as a pale blonde boy got down from the stool and confidently walked directly towards her. As he got closer, she noted how he looked strangely familiar, supposing she must have seen him on platform 9 ¾. He came up directly to her, and held out his hand. She took it, and shook it lightly. Grinning, he turned to shake the hands off all the other Slytherins around them. He sat down beside her.

"Sindra, right?" he asked, still grinning ear to ear. She nodded. "I didn't quite catch your name…" she said, trying to listen to the blonde boy and the professor at the same time. It didn't quite work. "Scorpius Malfoy," he said, looking at her intently, seemingly expecting her to react to his name in some way. She didn't oblige him. It sounded like a weird enough name to her, though she had come to notice wizards tended to have strange names.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" Scorpius looked rather disappointed, but quickly covered it up with a new question.

"So you're-" Sindra shushed him, having seen Albus begin to walk up to the stool. "Rude," Scorpius laughed.

"Shh!" Sindra said again, swatting Scorpius. The hat seemed to be having a heated argument with Albus, who looked extremely determined. Sindra crossed her fingers, wishing wildly that Albus would come join her in Slytherin. And just as she had done it-

"SLYTHERIN!" Beyond herself with excitement, Sindra got to feet, clapping with the rest of her house has beckoning her friend towards her and Scorpius. Albus came up, his smile a little half-hearted. He sat across from the other two, subconsciously shaking the hands of everyone around him, including Scorpius.

"Al, I'm so happy we are in the same house!" Sindra grinned, but faltered when she saw a look of mild disappointment on Albus's face. "What is it?" She asked. Albus sighed.

"It's nothing really, I'm glad, but…" he sighed again and turned to look over to the Gryffindor table.

"James isn't gonna let me hear the end of it."

"Don't worry, I'm sure your brother will come around." Scorpius laughed.

"How'd you know James was his brother?" Sindra said, eying Scorpius with great interest. Scorpius looked at her incredulously.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Everybody knows they're brothers," he said loudly, his voice being drained out by loud cheering from the Gryffindor table. "They're famous!" Confused, Sindra looked from Scorpius to Albus, back to Scorpius.

"No they aren't." she said flatly. Both of them sniggered.

"Do your parents hide the papers from you or something?" Scorpius teased, enjoying watching her glare at them.

"No, my parents are Muggles." She said grumpily.

"Muggles? That's odd-" Scorpius started, but was quieted again by Sindra, this time joined by Albus. He didn't protest, and watched with them as Rose walked up to the stool. Professor Longbottom had barely placed the hat on her head when it yelled out,

"GRYFFINDOR!" Again, the Gryffindor table erupted into cheers, and Rose bounced off the seat and almost ran to the table, instantly being absorbed into the mass of people who all seemed to know and love her.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Albus sighed. Scorpius looked sympathetically at Albus, who stared back. All of sudden, he seemed to remember something. "Wait, you're Scorpius, right?" Scorpius nodded. "Well i guess i'll introduce myself, even though you already know who I am." He held out his hand to Scorpius, who took it. "Albus Potter," Albus said smiling a genuine smile for the first time since he sat down at the Slytherin table.

"Scorpius Malfoy." Scorpius replied.

"RAVENCLAW!"

"But seriously, they are famous. Albus's dad saved the wizarding world from an evil sorcerer!" Scorpius said, turning towards Sindra.

"Yeah, right! That sounds like a washed up story somebody wrote on a napkin." Sindra laughed. Scorpius stared over at her rather amused, but Albus looked slightly insulted.

"It's not a joke, Sindra. Loads of people died," He said, starting to look a little bit miserable. "My uncle..." He trailed off, leaving Sindra looking horrified.

"Al, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-" She started, but was interrupted by a booming voice from the front of the great hall, where the sorting had taken place.

"Welcome, First years! And to everybody else, welcome back." The woman talking was rather old, but had a strong poised look to her. She wore emerald green robes embroidered with gold designs and trim, and a black hat on her head. "For those who don't know me, I am Professor McGonagall, your Headmistress here at Hogwarts. I have a few quick announcements if you don't all mind paying attention," Sindra could have sworn she was staring directly at James, who had been whispering to the boy sitting next to him. "Right," she continued, "As per usual, none may enter the Forbidden Forest, and doing so will end in severe consequences. We also have a new Ancient Runes teacher, Professor Addison, so I implore you all to give a good welcome to him as well. Without further ado, as i'm sure you are all hungry, let the feast begin!" And with a flick or the Headmistress's wand, food appeared at every table in abundance. Sindra gawked at everything before her.

"Wow!" She said, admiring in particular the silver plates with green trim on the edges. Scorpius chuckled.

"You gonna just stare at the plates all day, or are you gonna eat something?" He asked, ripping a leg from the turkey in front of him. Sindra looked from him to Albus, who was smiling again, stuffing his face full of things she couldn't identify. She grinning widely, taking bits of food from every plate that surrounded her.

"What is this, exactly?" She asked, pointing at a glass filled with silky orange liquid.

"Pumpkin juice!" Albus yelled over the mounds of food, "It's sweet stuff, go on, try it!" Sindra grabbed the glass, and with Albus and Scorpius egging her on, she downed the whole thing. She choked, causing her to cough and sputter violently.

"Auuughhh, that stuff's awful!" She said, still coughing. Albus and Scorpius started laughing, and Scorpius patted her on the back. Her coughing subsided, and she nodded at him gratefully.

"Oi, don't be so mean. It's a staple in the wizarding world!" Albus said, his grin wider than ever.

"It isn't my fault you guys invented such a disgusting drink," She said, smiling wildly, "It's like forcing me to drink prune juice! If there was a list of stuff you shouldn't make drinks out of-" But she was interrupted by Scorpius forcing his glass of pumpkin juice up to her mouth, and then tilting it upward. She gulped, but then smacked the glass from his hands, sending the remainder of the liquid flying behind them. The glass itself shattered on the floor, but nobody around them seemed to take notice. Scorpius looked at Sindra cautiously, as if worried he had gone too far.

"You know," She said, eyeing Albus's pumpkin juice across from her, "It's not so bad the second time." The three of them burst into laughter.


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the feast went by quickly, and slowly but surely, students began to leave the great hall. Sindra looked about, looking a little panicked.

"What do we do now?" She asked, getting to her feet. Scorpius got up as well, taking one last cream puff from the table before stepping over the bench before he began to walk away.

"Slytherin's common room is in the dungeons, I think. Come on, we'll go find a prefect or something." He called over his shoulder, still walking away. Sindra jogged to catch up, and took hold of Scorpius's wrist to stop him from walking further.

"Hold up, Scorp," She said, watching Albus get up from his seat as well and walk around the end of the table to come meet with them. Albus smiled at them.

"Alright, let's go. You said the dungeons, right Scorp?" He asked, intentionally walking through Sindra and Scorpius's arms which were still linked together by Sindra's grasp.

"Oi!" Scorpius laughed, and the three of them began to walk towards the large doors at the end of the hall.

"FIRST YEARS, FOLLOW ME!" A tall boy with black hair was calling out down the end of the Slytherin table. He looked down towards the three of them, beckoning them towards him. They obliged, running up with the other first year Slytherins, none of whom Albus could remember ever having been sorted in the first place. "Alright, everybody here? Good. My name is Harry, and I am one of your Slytherin prefects. If you have any questions to ask me, feel free to-"

"Where you named after Harry Potter?" a small girl asked. Harry smiled down at her.

"Yup. I think it's an honour to be named after him, don't you think?" The crowd of first years murmured in agreement, some of them looking over at Albus. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he shuffled his feet slightly, moving closer to Scorpius and Sindra. "Anyway, let's get going to the dungeons. I'm gonna show you how to get into the common room." And he walked off, leaving the first years to trail behind him, breaking off into groups. They arrived in the entranceway, but instead of turning to walk up the staircase that the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were ascending, they followed Harry down into a smaller staircase off to the side. The staircase began winding downward, the stone walls around them getting darker and darker.

When they reached the end, it opened out into a large stone corridor, with dark oak doors lined symmetrically down the walls. Harry walked to the third one on the left, opened it, and walked through. The others followed. The room seemed to be some sort of sitting room, with a table in the corner beside a bookcase, and two small couches across from them. Harry walked up to the wall opposite these items, and patted it fondly. "This, my friends, is the entrance to the Slytherin common room. All you need to do is say the password to the wall, and it'll open up and let you in. Now, the password for the next fortnight is Asphodel." As he said it, the stones in the wall beside him began to fold in on themselves, opening up to show the common room to the first years for the first time. Harry walked inside, the first years close behind him. Albus stared at his surroundings in awe. The walls were of dark green glossy stone, the floors were black, atop which green rugs embroidered with silver thread lined the large walkway to an equally large round room. At the far end was a slick black fireplace with an engraving of a snake slithering across the mantelpiece. This was framed by windows that gave off a green-blue glow. In between each window was a large black pillar, each holding a lantern. From the ceiling hung green orbs, which gave off surprising good light onto the furniture. A few of the black leather couches and chairs were facing towards the fireplace, while others faced a dark elegant wooden coffee table, at which a few students were looking through textbooks.

"Wow…" Sindra said, gaping at the room, excitement in her eyes. Scorpius was smirking over at her, obviously enjoying her amazement.

"Wanna know something really cool?" He asked her, and Sindra nodded, still taking in her surroundings. "We are under the lake, so you can see underwater from those windows. My dad said he saw a merperson once!"

"Wait, really?" Albus asked, looking again at the greenish windows. Harry grinned down at them.

"It's true. At night, you can hear a soft swishing of the lake. It's actually really calming. But, moving on. The girls dormitory is down to your left, and the boys is to the right. And boys, please don't try to enter the girls' dorms. If you try, you'll find you won't make it far without a jelly-legs jinx being put on you." There was some giggling among the group. "Alright, i think that just about finishes it. There's a board over there with news and posts about new passwords or any regulations you want to know about. The hourglass beside it tell you how many house points we have, and uh…" He scanned around the room, seemingly looking to make sure there wasn't something he forgot to mention. "Yeah, that's it. If you have any more questions, come find me, or you can ask any of the other Slytherins. Off you go!" And with one last grin at them all, he strode down the boy's dorm staircase. Sindra turned around, looking from Scorpius to Albus.

"So i guess we'll meet up tomorrow, huh?" She asked them, a huge smile on her face. Albus couldn't help but grin widely as well, and nodded enthusiastically.

"Shall we go then, Al?" Scorpius said, motioning towards the stairs down to the boys' dormitory.

"After you, Scorp." Albus bowed sarcastically, leaving Sindra to snort at them, giggling as she turned to go to her own dorm. Scorpius pushed Albus, laughing as he raced down the stairs, leaving Albus, who was still trying to find his balance, to call out to him.

"Oi, RUDE!" He yelled, laughing to himself as he ran after the blonde. They bolted down the stairs together, each trying to trip the other up, until they made it to the door into their new room. When they reached it, they came to a halt, leaning against the wall as they caught their breath.

"Man, that took longer than I thought it would…" Albus panted, wiping messy black hair out of his face. Scorpius grinned, breathing heavily. He then turned to open the door, and the two of them walked in together. The claimed two beds beside each other, and Albus threw himself onto his, sighing as he melted into the blankets. Scorpius sat upon his, facing towards Albus. The door opened behind them, and two more people walked in. The first was a taller boy with dark skin and brown hair, and the second a small impish looking kid with strawberry blonde hair and green eyes. They didn't seem to know each other, as they were completely ignoring that the other was there. The imp-like one took a bed beside Albus, who stared at him curiously.

"Shouldn't there be a fifth?" Scorpius asked to nobody in particular, but looked over at Albus, as if asking him to help him fill in the silence. Just then, the door opened again, this time entering a grim looking boy with long black hair. He looked solemnly at the rest of them, and then immediately climbed into the empty bed furthest away from everyone, not saying a word.

"Oh. Huh." Scorpius said, taken aback by the strange entry of the last boy. The taller boy, who had taken up the other bed beside Scorpius, held out his hand for the blonde to take.

"You're Scorpius Malfoy, aren't you?" he asked. Scorpius took his hand a shook it, nodding.

"Yeah. And you are?"

"Randall Horne. My father said to look out for you." the boy replied, then turning to Albus. "Funny you got sorted into Slytherin. You don't really belong here." Albus raised an eyebrow, and was just about to retort when Scorpius cut him off, getting to his feet.

"And why doesn't he belong here, huh?" He asked, glaring up at the boy who was a good two inches taller than him.

"Well, both his parents were Gryffindors, weren't they?" he said, not intimidated by Scorpius's smaller stature in the least.

"My mum was a Ravenclaw, and you don't seem to question me being here." Scorpius said, crossing his arms. Albus got up off his bed and walked to go stand beside Scorpius.

"The sorting hat wanted to put my dad in Slytherin, you know." Albus said.

Silence. Even Scorpius looked over at Albus questioningly, not sure if he should say anything. Albus continued, enjoying the shock his statement caused.

"Yeah. The sorting hat was gonna put my dad in Slytherin, but he asked it to be in Gryffindor instead. My dad was supposed to be in Slytherin."

More silence. The impish boy was the first to break it this time, his voice cracking slightly.

"You can ask the hat to place you somewhere else?" he asked, his face a mixture of confusion and intrigue. Albus nodded. Randall sighed.

"Fine then. You guys are obviously all buddy-buddy. Strange, considering your dads hated each other. Yours was a death eater, isn't that right Malfoy?" he said, a sly grin creeping up on his face. Scorpius had gone rigid, and the color in his face had completely drained. Albus gritted his teeth together.

"Shove off, why don't you?" Albus growled, his fist clenched. Randall sneered down at them.

"Oh, all right then, Potter. I'll let you and your boyfriend be." He jeered, turning back to his own bed. Scorpius was now white with anger, looking as if he was about to pounce on Randall's back and start ripping out his hair. Albus put his hand on the blondes' shoulder consolingly.

"Leave him…" he warned. Slowly, Scorpius turned back to his own bed. Albus then retreated to his, and the two boys changed and wished each other goodnight. Albus stared up at the ceiling, and sighed deeply to himself. It had been a long and eventful day.


	4. Chapter 4

The morning came faster than Albus had anticipated, having felt like he hadn't gotten any sleep at all. Scorpius had been the one to wake him up, and the two of them quickly changed and rushed into the common room.

"Oi, calm down, you two. You aren't late for anything." a familiar voice called out to them. Sindra was grinning at them. "Come on then. Breakfast awaits!" The three of them together again, they started walking up to the Great Hall for breakfast. Albus began to explain the events last night to Sindra, who seemed to be quite lost.

"A death eater?" She inquired loudly. Scorpius tensed up again, obviously horribly uncomfortable. Albus shushed her quickly.

"A follower of the dark wizard my dad defeated. Don't worry about it, though. Also, you probably shouldn't mention that to anybody. I mean it's not like it's secret but…" he glanced at Scorpius. "...just don't say anything about it. Scorp's dad's a good guy. My dad talks about him fondly." Scorpius seemed to ease up when he heard this. Sindra agreed not to mention it again, and so the three of them continued their walk up to breakfast talking about happier subjects.

"What about your roommates, Sin?" Scorpius asked, sitting down beside Albus at the dining table. Sindra chuckled, but Albus couldn't tell if it was sarcastic or genuine.

"Well, they aren't _horrible._" She said, smiling to herself. "There's a girl that looks a bit like a slug. She has this awful greasy feel to her, too. And her friend is this annoying thing- she never seems to shut up. So slug-girl just sits there slowly melting away into slime listening to this girl."

Scorpius burst into laughter.

"Don't they have names, Sin? You don't seem to be very friendly!" Albus laughed, slapping Scorpius on the back as he choked on bits of bacon he was trying to swallow.

"I can't help it! I'm sure they are okay people. Probably." She said, taking a swig of pumpkin juice. "Oh, I think the sluggy ones' name is Lindsey Something. Or maybe that's the one who talks too much…" She added, staring off into the distance. Scorpius had finally calmed down enough to ask Albus what class they had first.

"Introduction to Potions. With the Gryffindors, looks like." Albus said, reading off his schedule carefully. "And after that, Transfiguration. And after that, Charms. Then lunch, then flying lessons. And then-" Scorpius slapped his hand over Albus' mouth.

"Alright then, no need to stress me out. Let's start with Potions, and then we'll see if I'm up for anything else." Scorpius said, grinning.

"I hope you aren't seriously considering skipping a class on the first day!" Rose Weasley had appeared out of nowhere, James close behind her. Startled, Scorpius spun around wildly in his seat.

"Rose!" Sindra grinned up at Rose, who walked over to her and sat down beside her, across from Albus and Scorpius. James sat down on the other side of Albus, putting his arm around his brothers' neck.

"So tell me, Al. What's it like?" James asked, a wicked grin growing on his face.

"What do you mean?" Albus replied, eyeing his brothers' smile suspiciously.

"How does it feel being _evil_?" James continued, eyes glinting. Sindra burst out laughing as Albus scoffed at his brother, turning his head away to hide his own smile. James, however, pulled his brother down to ruffle his hair. "No worries, bro, I'm only joking. I'd have turned you into the Ministry years ago if you were evil." Rose glared at James.

"You promised me you wouldn't tease him about this!" She said grumpily, but her face softened when she saw Albus' smile. She turned to Sindra.

"How was your first night, Sin?"

"It was really great! The Slytherin common room is beyond anything I could imagine. And these-" Sindra started, but was cut off by James.

"Oi, you're that Malfoy kid, yeah?" He said, seeming to have just noticed Scorpius' presence.

"Yeah." Scorpius said, leaning to look at James through Albus. James whispered to Albus quickly.

"He cool?" He asked softly, grinning as Albus nodded. "James Potter. Nice to meet you!" James had thrusted his arms directly in front of Albus' face, holding out his hand for Scorpius to shake. The blonde took it, laughing as Albus sighed into his brothers' arm.

"Anyway, it's about time we all got going to Potions class, isn't it?" Rose piped up, getting to her feet. James looked about for a clock, but couldn't seem to find one. He stood up as well, shaking his head from side to side, efficiently messing up his hair, which already was in disarray.

"See you all later, then." And he left, pulling his own schedule from his pocket and examining it. The rest of them rose as well, and began to walk down to the dungeons. As they reached the familiar dark corridor, Albus referred back to his schedule, squinting at it.

"All these doors look the bloody same." He said, shoving the paper into the bag he was carrying.

"It's probably the one those people are walking into, Al." Rose said, dragging the three Slytherins along. They walked through the door Rose mentioned and were immediately greeting by a very old bald man with a wide smile.

"Come in, come in! Don't be shy now, choose a seat! We'll start in just a moment!" They found a long empty table with two cauldrons on it, and rushed over to it. They talked excitedly as more students filed in, until the Professor spoke again.

"Welcome, welcome!" He said, grinning widely. "My name is Professor Slughorn, Potions Master and head of Slytherin house. We will all get to know each other very well by the end of the year, especially you Slytherins! Now, as it is our first ever class, we will be doing a very simple potion. Yes, yes, we will be making a potion today!" Some of the students whispered excitedly to each other. "Alright, now the potion we will make today is amply named 'Cure for Boils', or 'Boils cure', whichever you prefer. Now i know it doesn't sound very exciting, but i assure you before the year is up, we will have made many complicated brews! Now everybody open up their copies of Magical Drafts and Potions to page 13, and we will be on our way!"

Rose took out her book, and quickly turned to page 13, setting it down beside the cauldron next to her and Albus. Scorpius got his out as well, and handed it to Sindra, who had opened the book and begun to read before she even set it down on the table.

"Alright then. First things first, we need 6 snake fangs. You wanna go get it, or…" Scorpius started, only to realize Sindra was already across the classroom, going through dusty drawers with labels that had all been almost completely worn out. She returned with six snake fangs, four horned slugs, and three porcupine quills. "What are all those for?" Scorpius asked, pointing at the horned slugs and quills.

"For the next part, look." Sindra said, pointing to the second half of the recipe. "I got them early so we could get the good ones, instead of having to fight over the ingredients with other students later." Scorpius gawked at her.

"But- I mean, that's brilliant, But how can you tell which horned slugs are the good ones?" He asked, prodding his finger at a particularly fat slug. Sindra slapped his hand away, dropping the snake fangs into the mortar that sat in front of Scorpius.

"I chose the ones that looked closest to my dorm mate, of course." Sindra said, smiling to herself as she watched Scorpius grind the snake fangs furiously. He didn't seem to have heard her. They measured out the fangs and put them in the cauldron. Sindra took out her wand, and waved it above the cauldron. Professor Slughorn, who had been walking through the classroom, giving tips and correcting some students, came up to their cauldron.

"Ah, what a lovely shade of green! It's almost the colour of the Headmistress' robes, I think! Very good, very good. Now what are your names?" Scorpius looked up at the Professor, and Sindra thought she saw some anxiety behind her friends' eyes.

"Scorpius Malffghh…" He mumbled, now avoiding eye contact with the teacher.

"What was that son? These ears aren't what they used to be, I'm afraid." Slughorn boomed, leaning in a little closer so as to hear Scorpius better.

"Scorpius Malfoy…" Scorpius managed, speaking as quietly as he possibly could. Sindra hadn't a clue why he was being so timid, until she saw Slughorns' wide smile falter.

"Ah." He said, slowly regaining his composure. "And you, my dear? What is your name?"

"Sindra Bates." Sindra said, wondering how her teacher would respond.

"Ahhhh, yes. And are you, by any chance, related to Shanice Bates, the beautiful and quite talented Quidditch player from our very own Scotland?" He asked, looking extremely hopeful.

"Uhm, no. I'm muggle-born, actually." She started, and upon seeing his very disappointed expression, continued, "Sorry…"

"Ah, 'tis no matter my dear!" He said, cheerfully turning away from them, until he suddenly came to a halt. Slowly, he turned back around, facing them. He looked at Sindra with great interest, his eyes now bright. "Muggle-born, you say?" he said, so pompously and loud that some of the students spun round. Sindra nodded, unsure why she was suddenly being interviewed. "Are you sure, now?" Slughorn asked, looking almost as if he was about to explode.

"Yes…?" Sindra said, now doubting herself.

"I see. It's only this, my dear. I have been around a good hundred years now, and never once have I met a Slytherin who was muggle-born." Slughorn said this very loud indeed, as every single face turned and stared at Sindra. She went rigid, blushing furiously under all the speculation that was staring her in the face.

"I… assure you, I have no wizards in my family." She said, trying unsuccessfully to relax her body. Slughorn now looked quite overexcited.

"A mystery then! Dear- Sindra, you said your name was? Sindra, Sindra, Sindra! Tell me, what are your parents' names? Your mothers' maiden name too, please. I shall search day and night to find your elusive relative!" He boomed, clapping his hands together loudly.

"Diane Hart and Reginald Bates…" Sindra looked around nervously at Scorpius, who had been watching her with great interest. He gave her a reassuring look, but she didn't feel much better. The professor looked a little crestfallen.

"Now, not to worry, not to worry. I'll figure this out in due time!" He bounded upward and continued to walk around the classroom with a bounce in his step. "You should all start gathering your horned slugs now, I think! Now, now, don't fight!" He added, splitting apart two Slytherin boys Sindra assumed were some of Scorpius and Albus' dorm mates. Trying to distract herself from the embarrassment from only moments earlier, Sindra focused on dumping her pre-picked slugs into the cauldron.

"Alright, I take it off the heat now, right?" Scorpius asked, reading the directions over again. Sindra nodded subconsciously, thinking to herself. Could she really have a wizard relative? Were they very distant, or somebody she knew pretending to be a muggle? Surely it isn't one of her parents… "Oi, Sin. The instructions say to put in two quills, but we have three." Scorpius said, poking her softly in the back. "Sin?"

"What?" She asked, not having heard a thing. Scorpius held up the quills.

"Two, or three?" He asked again.

"Oh. Two, I think. I must have grabbed an extra one on accident." Sindra said, finally coming out of her day-dream.

"Is it supposed to be that blue?" Albus asked, scooting over to their cauldron to get a better look. "Ours is more of a sky blue. Maybe we stirred it the wrong way… which way is clockwise?"

"It's the direction clocks go in." Sindra giggled, pushing Albus back towards his own sky-blue potion. Scorpius finished the final stir, and Sindra got out her wand once again to complete the potion. It was a brilliant shade of royal blue.

"What's your wand made of?" Scorpius asked, admiring Sindra's deep red wand and she stowed it back in her pocket. She looked over at him and smiled, taking it out again to show him.

"Mahogany, Dragon Heartstring, 14½ inches. What about yours?" She asked.

"Ash, Phoenix feather. I think it's exactly 12 inches long." He replied, taking out his wand as well and comparing it in length to hers. Slughorn, having been making his way around the classroom grading everyone's potions, came up to them.

"Put away your wands now. Let's have a look at your Boil Cure. Ah!" He took out his own wand and removed some of the liquid and deposited it into a small bottle in his hand. "This one is done quite perfectly! Very well done indeed! Ten points for Slytherin, I think!" Some of the Gryffindors groaned. "Now, now. You keep this, my dear!" He handed Sindra the bottle. "Now, I want you to all write one page on the possible uses for the Cure for Boils and have it for me by class on friday. Now off you go! Class dismissed!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Do you think Slughorn's right?" Sindra asked, as the three Slytherins sat down for lunch.

"You mean about you having a close magical ancestor?" Albus asked, looking incredulous. "I doubt it. He looked like he was just trying to find somebody special, and chose you." Scorpius scratched his head.

"I dunno. I think he's onto something. I tried to tell you the same thing last night, Sin. I thought it was funny a muggle-born could get into Slytherin. My dad said that's not possible." Scorpius said, grabbing a sandwich from the plates in front of them.

"But I can't have any close relatives who are wizards, can I? I know my mum and dad aren't for sure, and I hardly think my grandparents are, though i suppose my dad doesn't get along well with his dad, so i don't know him well… but honestly…" Sindra trailed off, thinking about who could possibly be a wizard in her family. Scorpius looked hopeful.

"Maybe it's him then! Are you going home for the holidays this year? You could ask then!" Scorpius said, giving Sindra a wide, sandwich-filled grin. Sindra sighed.

"Grandad's been sick though, so i don't think i should ask. Maybe I'll just write a letter to my mum and ask her if she knows anything. And God, Scorp, don't eat like that!" She laughed, watching as Scorpius ravaged a chicken leg, sending bits flying everywhere. Albus glared at Scorpius.

"I think we should do some research before doing anything. Maybe Slytherins can be muggle-born, it's just really rare. I dunno." Albus said, seeming a little disgruntled.

"I agree. Research is always a good route to go!" Rose had come up, and sat down beside Albus. She threw down a large book labeled 'Hogwarts: A History.' "In fact, I've already looked it up." Unanimously, they all huddled around Rose, who was ruffling through the pages. "See here, it says Salazar Slytherin, the founder of Slytherin House, mistrusts muggle-born wizards, and therefor only accepts those of purer blood into his house." She pointed at the paragraph, leaving the rest to start at it, reading through.

"That settles it then! We gotta find Sindra's wizard person!" Scorpius said excitedly, jumping up and down. Sindra stared at the paragraph, not knowing how to feel. Albus looked over at her, looking a little worried.

"You alright?" He asked, causing Scorpius and Rose to turn to Sindra.

"You… don't suppose I'm adopted, do you?" Sindra asked, sullenly. Everybody went very quiet.

"I don't know, Sindra… do you look like your parents?" Rose asked, her voice trembling ever so slightly. Sindra seemed to straighten up a little.

"Yeah, I look a bit like my dad, I think. We've both got black hair and light skin…" She looked around, feeling a little better thinking about her dad. "I think i'll write a letter to him." Scorpius patted her on the back. Albus sat down at the table again, gathering more food onto his plate.

"I think that's a brilliant idea. Oi, Sin, do you want to work on the potions page together? You seemed to be really talented with potions and it's not my strong suit…" Sindra smiled over at Rose, and turned to rummage through her bag. She pulled out some parchment and quills for the both of them, along with her potions textbook. Scorpius looked questioningly at the two girls, who were now fervently discussing just exactly what type of boils one could get.

"Oi, some people are trying to eat here." He said, pulling his half eaten plate from beneath Sindra's parchment. Albus chuckled.

"Come on, Scorp, finish up quick. We can go out to the grounds and pester James before class if you hurry." He said, throwing his bag over one of his shoulders.

"Oh- cool." Scorpius said, picking up one last chicken leg as he got his own bags together and stood to leave with Albus. He stopped to stand next to Sindra for a second.

"See you in class, then?" He asked her. She looked up, grinning.

"Yeah." She said, turning back to Rose to continue writing on her essay. Albus groaned, and pulled Scorpius away from the girls.

It had been a few months since the start of term, and still Rose, Sindra, Albus, and Scorpius hadn't a clue how it was possible for Sindra to be a Slytherin. Even Professor Slughorn, who had on multiple occasions come up to Sindra asking her for all the family names he could think of, had no luck in the matter. One late Saturday afternoon, the three Slytherins all sat lazily on the black leather couches in their common room, gazing out the window into the lake beyond.

"Hey, did you ever send that letter to your dad, Sin?" Albus said all of a sudden, remembering the conversation they had spoken about months ago. Sindra looked over at him, obviously confused.

"What letter?" She asked, subconsciously spinning her wand around in her fingers.

"The one about your possible wizard relative." Albus reminded her.

"Oh. No." She said, pocketing her wand and folding her knees up to her chest, hugging them inward. The boys look at each other, and then both stood up, walking over to her somewhat cautiously.

"What's wrong?" Scorpius asked, sitting beside Sindra on the couch. Albus kneeled in front of her, his face asking the same question.

"It's nothing, really." She said, stretching out her legs again in an attempt to make it look like she was alright.

"Don't play around Sin. We can tell when something's up, you know." Albus said. Behind them, the stone wall that led into the dungeons opened, letting in Randall Horne, who saw the three of them, and came striding over, smirking to himself.

"Oh, look! It's Potter and Malfoy, my two favorite roomies!" Randall sneered, prodding Scorpius on the back of the head. Following Randall was Lindsey Yates, Sindra's dorm mate. She was a stout blonde, who had a look of innocence on her face. "And of course, the famous mudblood Slytherin."

Everything happened in a split second. Scorpius lept from the couch, and jumped right on top of Randall, causing both of them falling to the ground- just as Albus pulled out his wand and pointed it at Randall, yelling, "TAKE IT BACK, SCUM!" Sindra spun in her seat, staring horrified as Scorpius pulled mercilessly at Randall's hair. Lindsey screamed, then ran from the scene.

"GET OFF ME, MALFOY!" Randall growled, thrusting his fist into any part of Scorpius he could find. Scorpius didn't let up, he was now punching back, smacking Randall full on it the face. Randall screamed at Albus now. "TELL HIM TO GET OFF!" But Albus held his wand steady, growling angrily.

"Take it back, Horne." Albus said again, glaring at Randall, his wand sending sparks flying in all directions. Randall responded by biting down hard on Scorpius's arm. Scorpius yelled out in pain, and Albus was just about to jinx him when-

"Expelliarmus!" Professor Slughorn called out, as he strode through the entrance, Lindsey hot on his tail. Albus' want flew from his hand, and clattered on the stone floor a few feet away. With another flick of his wand, Scorpius was dragged from Randall to the Professors' feet. Everyone stared at the Slughorn, not moving a muscle. "You three. In my office." The professor said, after a long pause. He turned to Lindsey. "Dear, would you be so kind as to run and get Madam Abbott for me? Tell her to meet me in my office." Lindsey nodded and ran off, leaving Slughorn to stare at the three boys who now all stood in front of him. Both Scorpius and Randall were very badly bruised, and Scorpius' left arm had blood trickling down into the webs of his fingers. Professor Slughorn turned on his heel, and began to walk away. Sindra, who had been completely horror-struck the whole time, watched the four of them leave. What on earth had just happened?

When they reached Slughorns' office, the professor summoned three chairs that the boys sat down in. Moments later, Madam Abbott, the school nurse, came bustling in, Lindsey following suit.

"You may go, Lindsey." Professor Slughorn said, motioning to the door. Looking rather disappointed, she departed. "Now," Professor Slughorn started as Madam Abbott began cleaning up the blood around Scorpius' arm, "What was the meaning of all of this?" All three boys started talking at once.

"It was Randall, Professor, he-"

"Malfoy jumped me-"

"Bloody Horne insulted-"

"One at a time, please, boys." Slughorn said, taking in a deep breath. "Potter, you first." Albus began again.

"Randall provoked us, Professor. He called Sindra a mudblood." Slughorn raised his eyebrows and turn to face Randall, who looked away grumpily.

"Is that true, Mr. Horne?" Slughorn asked.

"Yeah." Randall said, looking down at his feet.

"Ah, alright then," The professor took a deep breath in. "So Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy attacked you after that?"

Scorpius and Albus nodded, but Randall continued to look as his feet, now clenching his fist. Slughorn sighed again.

"2 weeks detention, for the lot of you. Mr. Horne, if I hear you've say that word to any student it'll be a lot longer than 2 weeks, I assure you. Potter, Malfoy… don't assault people, even if they do provoke you. You may go." Randall ran from the room, giving one last glare at Scorpius and Albus as he left. "Stay behind a minute," Slughorn called out to them as they turned to leave.

"Yes, Professor?" The boys said, almost uniformly. Slughorn looked from one to the other.

"I'll only give you a week's detention, and I'll give you something easy. But don't let Horne know, alright?" He smiled down at them, and then shooed them from the room. They thanked him as they left, grinning to each other. Slughorn turned to Madam Abbott, who was smiling at him. He chuckled, "And what are you grinning about?" But the two of them just laughed, and Madam Abbott made her way back up to the hospital wing.


	6. Chapter 6

As Albus and Scorpius walked through the doorway into the Slytherin common room, they spied Sindra sitting on the large armchair in the corner, writing swiftly on some parchment. They walked over to her quietly, Scorpius leaning over her shoulder a bit to read what she was writing.

"I thought you'd already finished your potions essay, Sin." He said, smiling as Sindra squealed and jumped from her seat, sending papers flying and her inkwell crashing onto the floor. Sindra glared at him.

"Look what you've done!" She groaned, getting on her knees to pick up the multiple scrolls of parchment that had fallen to the floor. As for her inkwell, the spilled ink stain had already disappeared from the carpet, just leaving the broken container.

"I got that," Albus said, pulling out his wand and pointing it at Sindra's inkwell. "Reparo," he said confidently, watching as the red glow from his wand mended the broken glass. "That wasn't so hard, James had me thinking it was a third year spell..." He said, watching as Sindra reached over and picked up her inkwell, then got to her feet only to fall back into the armchair, sighing. She rummaged through the papers and handed a tightly bound scroll the Albus.

"Here, this is for you." She said, handing it over to him. She took out the parchment she had been working on earlier, dipped her quill in the empty bottle, then sighed again. "Scorpius, can i borrow your ink?" She asked. Scorpius nodded and searched through his bag, as Albus unrolled the scroll Sindra had given him.

"But, Sin, this is my essay," he said, reading quickly down the scroll, "You finished it?" He looked over at Sindra grinning widely. She smiled back at him, taking the ink Scorpius gave to her.

"I thought as a thank you i'd finish your guys' potions essays. Since, you know, I'm much better at potions anyway." She said, beginning to write again on the parchment in front of her. "Yours isn't quite finished yet Scorp, you two weren't gone long enough. I wanted to put them back in your bags and leave them as a surprise, but that's alright." She continued writing as Scorpius and Albus gawked at her. She looked up, noticing the silence. She giggled, "That nice prefect Harry explained to me what you guys did for me. He was doing homework on the back table when Randall came in, and watched everything happen. I do wonder though, shouldn't he have done something first? He is a prefect after all." Scorpius, now grinning as widely as Albus, sat down in the chair besides Sindra, stretching.

"He probably wanted to rip apart that maggot as badly as we did, but couldn't, 'cause prefects are supposed to be better than that." He said. Albus nodded in agreement. Sindra smiled at them, thinking about how lucky she was to have such good friends.

The night carried on into the early morning, and the three of them now huddled around the fire, covered in dark green blankets, laughing as they searched through the Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 trying to see if they could find a spell to get the fire to change colours. "I'm telling you, it's not going to be in the first year textbook," Sindra smiled sleepily, watching the boys flip through countless pages scanning all the different spells and how to use them.

"I swear I saw it though!" Albus said, pushing Scorpius away as he attempted to take full control of the book.

"Look, look, will this one work?" Scorpius, who was leaned over sideways as Albus was forcefully pushing him aside, pointed at the top right of the page they had stopped on. "Colovaria. Doesn't look hard at all, huh?" He continued, as they all poured over the textbook, reading it carefully.

"Give it a try, then..." Sindra said, blinking furiously in an attempt to keep her eyes open as Albus picked up his wand from the floor and pointed it at the fire.

"Colovaria!" He said, as a stream of red light protruded from his wand. It hit the fire, and with a swirl of colour the flames changed from its familiar orange glow to a bright pink.

"Cool!" Scorpius exclaimed, taking out his own wand to try. "Colovaria," he said, pointing at the neon pink fire. With another swirl of colours, the pink changed to blue. Albus tried again, this time making the fire an emerald green. Sindra leaned back against the side of an armchair, yawning.

"This reminds me of Sleeping Beauty..." She murmured, closing her eyes and wrapping her blanket closer around her. The two boys looked over at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Scorpius asked, raising an eyebrow. But Sindra didn't respond, as she had fallen asleep, dreaming about her two best friends fighting a dragon to save her from the astronomy tower.

The next morning at breakfast, just as the owls had begun their descent to deliver countless letters, Rose came bustling over the the Slytherin table. She passed a group of jeering 4th years, and came up to where Sindra, Albus, and Scorpius were sitting.

"Sindra, Albus! I have some-" she started, but was interrupted by Scorpius.

"Oi, i'm here too, you know." He said, staring at her as she turned to face him.

"Malfoy." She said plainly, nodding her head in acknowledgment. "Anyway-"

"No, no, no, no, no, no! Why do i get last name basis? Aren't we friends, Rose?" Scorpius asked, looking an odd mixture of amused and insulted. Rose sighed and turned to face Scorpius again.

"Because, Malfoy. I let you borrow my favorite quill _weeks_ ago and you haven't even tried to return it!"

"Hey, that isn't my fault! Sindra set fire to the thing the second we got back into the common room!"

"Then you should have returned it after class like a normal person would!"

"How should i have known Ms. I'm-gonna-practice-incendio-on-Scorpius's-stuff-cause-i-think-it'll-be-funny was gonna do that?" Sindra snorted and began to giggle uncontrollably.

"Well, nevermind that. Buy me a new one, and you'll get your first name basis again." Rose said, trying hard to keep a straight face as Sindra continued to laugh into Albus's shoulder.

"But Sin's the one who destroyed it..." Scorpius said, trying his best to put on an innocent face. Rose sighed.

"Yes, but Sindra doesn't even have muggle money, let alone anything to buy a quill with. You, on the other hand, have oodles of cash poured on you from your extraordinarily rich parents." She said, amused by Scorpius's pout. Sindra, who's laughing fit had finally ceased, looked over at Scorpius, intrigued.

"You have oodles of money?" She asked, leaning over toward Rose and whispering "What's an oodle?" Rose laughed, but then seemed to remember something.

"Wait, I actually came over to tell you something important," Rose started in a serious tone. The Slytherins huddled closer together so they could all listen. "Well, I was just mulling over the facts we know about Sindra, and I remembered something my mother once told me about when she found out she was a witch. She told me that a professor hand-delivered her acceptance letter, so he could explain to them that magic was real, stuff about Hogwarts, things like that. Then it occurred to me that Sindra said on the train she didn't know anything about Hogwarts besides its name, remember? We had to explain everything to her." Albus looked at her incredulously.

"So, what, they just forgot to send a teacher to explain stuff?" He asked, but was hushed by Rose.

"I wasn't finished, Al. So, I asked Professor McGonagall how they determine which students get Professors to deliver the letters by hand, and which just get sent the letters. She told me there's a big long list of magical people in England and Scotland, and letters are sent out to them if they turn 11 before September 1st of each year. The only reason they would send a professor along with the letter is if neither parent, or guardian was anywhere on the list, meaning they are both muggles." Rose finished, taking in a deep breath. The Sindra and Albus stared at her in awe, but Scorpius furrowed his brow.

"So, that means one of Sindra's parents has to be a wizard?" He asked, looking over at Sindra, who was now staring off into space, obviously lost in thought. Albus, however, turned to Rose in confusion.

"But, if Sindra didn't know anything about Hogwarts, and the professor didn't explain things... Sin, how did you get your school supplies for this year?" Albus asked, turning to Sindra. She didn't seem to hear him. "Sin?" He asked again, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Hmm?" She murmured, coming out of her day-dream. "Sorry, what was that?"

"How'd you get your supplies for this year?"

"Oh, it's a funny story, actually. My dad and I went parading around London searching desperately for any signs of something magical. My mum thought the letter was a joke, see, so she didn't want to come. We'd nearly given up when a nice old witch overheard us talking about it at a little coffee shop. She took pity on us and brought us to Diagon Alley, and told us exactly where to get everything we needed. She even gave us some big gold coins to buy stuff with." When she finished explaining, Sindra looked around at her friends. They all seemed to be taking in everything they had heard. Scorpius glanced around the Great Hall.

"Oi, i think it's time for class." He said, causing the others to look around as well. Rose squeaked and leapt towards her bag, running off to class without saying another word. The Slytherins, on the other hand, gathered their things together much more leisurely. Scorpius looked over at Sindra, his face showing just the slightest bit of concern. "Sin," he started, throwing his bag over his shoulder and moving closer to her, "You alright?" Sindra, who had been subconsciously been zipping and unzipping her bag, suddenly jumped slightly in place at the sound of his voice. At first, smiled weakly at him, but then her smile widened.

"Hey, i just remembered where I recognized you from." She said, as they began to leave the Great Hall. Both Albus and Scorpius looked over at her questioningly. She let out a small laugh, then continued, "When my dad and I went to Kings Cross to get on the train, we couldn't find a platform 9 3/4s anywhere. But I saw you and your parents walking into a brick wall, so we followed you. I thought you looked familiar when we met..." She trailed off, smiling to herself, mind racing as she wondered which one of her parents could possibly be a wizard.


	7. Chapter 7

The next few weeks went by quickly, the Slytherins being pre-occupied with the large amounts of homework that had been slowly catching up to them throughout the year. It was a colder Saturday, so they huddled together in front of the fire, each working on essays silently. There were a few other Slytherins in the room, some sitting in armchairs working on papers, others sleepily looking out the green windows. Albus sighed.

"We aren't going to do this all morning, right?" He asked, poking the green rug below him with his quill. Sindra looked over at him and smiled.

"It's not like it's nice outside or anything." She said, scribbling frantically to try and squeeze her hand writing into the rest of the scroll. Albus groaned, leaning over to Scorpius in an attempt to distract him from his paper.

"Scooooorrrrrppiiuuuussssssss…" He said eerily, getting closer and closer to Scorpius as he did so. Scorpius pulled away slowly, seemingly unaffected by his friends' odd antics. "Well we have to do something other than homework eventually, right?" Albus questioned aloud, looking from Sindra to Scorpius trying to elicit a reaction. Neither obliged him, as they both still were absorbed in their work. He sighed, and stared over at his half finished paper, grumbling to himself. He almost got himself to pick up his quill to begin working on it again when Scorpius slammed his fists down on the table. Sindra and Albus looked up, startled.

"What was that for?" Sindra asked, eyeing his paper from across the table. Scorpius groaned and lightly banged his head down on his parchment.

"I just… hate transfiguration. So much." He murmured, glaring cross-eyed at the paper glued to his face. Sindra giggled, and set down her parchment.

"I suppose we could take a break," Both boys looked at her enthusiastically. "But, you have to choose what we do, because I can't think of anything." She said, rolling up her parchment and beginning to put away her inkwell. Scorpius and Albus looked at each other, grinning. She eyed them suspiciously. "Whatever you're thinking, not that." Sindra laughed as she watched the two boys' faces.

"But you haven't even heard it yet!" Albus protested.

"Yeah, don't worry it'll be brilliant!" Scorpius added, jumping up to his feet. Sindra stood up as well, throwing her bag over her shoulder.

"We are NOT trying to sneak out to Hogsmeade again."

"No, no. It's nothing like that," Albus started, packing up his things as well, still grinning.

"Not even close," followed Scorpius, smirking wildly. Sindra looked skeptical, but she went along with them anyway. After putting their things in their respective dorms, they began their trek into the dungeon corridor. Sindra was surprised to see her friends take her deeper into the dungeons, instead of us the stairs.

"Wait, where are we going?" She asked, jogging to keep up. Scorpius grabbed her hand and pulled her along, and they ran for a few minutes longer before turning into a room that apparently had nothing in it. They came to a halt. Albus and Scorpius stared at one of the stone walls, and Sindra, who was out of breath, leaned against it. "So, you gonna…" She started, taking heavy breaths, "...tell me where we are?" Scorpius smiled.

"We found a secret passage." He said, pointing at the wall. Albus nodded in agreement, as Sindra straightened up.

"Really?" She asked, turning to take a better look at the wall they were staring at. She poked it softly with her finger. "Are you sure?" she questioned, looking back at them.

"Yeah, watch." Albus said, taking out his wand. He reached up as far as he could, placing the point of his wand in the grooves between the stone. As he ran it down along the gap, the wall began to melt away, dripping down to the floor like hot wax.

"Lumos!" Scorpius said, and as light filled the room, it illuminated the long dark tunnel that had just been revealed. Sindra looked upon it in awe.

"Wow, you guys…!" She exclaimed, walking over to peer inside the tunnel. "But, how'd you ever find this?" Albus and Scorpius exchanged looks.

"Well," Scorpius started, "We MAY have skipped Herbology to explore the dungeons because it sounded way cooler." Sindra rolled her eyes.

"Remind me to not tell you what the homework was." She said, giggling at the boys' guilty faces. "But i mean though, how did you figure out how to open it?" They grinned.

"Lumos!" Albus said, beginning to walk down the tunnel, wand first. Scorpius followed suit, but Sindra stayed at the entryway.

"Aren't you going to answer my question?" She asked, taking out her own wand and illuminating it. Scorpius looked back at her, still grinning ear to ear.

"Not unless you tell us what the Herbology homework is." He smirked. Sindra sighed, supposing James must have shown it to them. She followed along, a bit behind them. The tunnel twisted and turned, and it got colder the farther inward they got. "Do you think we are getting deeper?" Scorpius asked, looking from Albus to Sindra. Sindra shrugged.

"Nah, i don't think so," replied Albus. "So what are we going to do if theres like, a fork or something?" Scorpius raised an eyebrow.

"Why on earth would there be a fork just lying in the middle of a tunnel?" He asked Albus, who rolled his eyes at him.

"Not a dinner fork, you idiot. A fork in the road." Albus said. Sindra giggled a bit as Scorpius stuck his tongue out at Albus, who was too busy looking down the dark tunnel to have seen him. After a few minutes of silence, they came to a staircase. Holding their wands up to the ceiling, they noticed something that looked like a trap door of some kind. The ascended the staircase, and while Albus held up his wand for light, Sindra and Scorpius pressed themselves against the door, trying to open it.

"I think something's blocking it," Sindra groaned, straining to keep herself pushing up on the door. Albus placed his wand on the step below them, and moved to the side of Sindra to help. As the three of them pushed, they began to hear something crackling. "Is that a good sign?" Sindra said, holding back for a second.

"Probably," Scorpius started. "How about on the count of three we just throw ourselves at it, yeah?" He finished, watching as the other two nodded. "Okay then… one." More creaking from outside the door. "Two…" Sindra wondered wildly what could be behind it. "Three!" The three of the pushed with all their might, and as they did so, there was a loud tearing as the door swung open, making it shower dirt and broken roots, blinding the three of them from the sunlight that poured in alongside it.

"Waaahhh! Albus yelled, rubbing the dirt from his eyes. Scorpius groaned.

"We did it, right?" He asked, blindly patting around where the door had once been. Sindra laughed.

"Stop exaggerating, you two. We're outside." She said, climbing through the opening that they had just created. The others followed, still rubbing their eyes. They entered into a very small meadow, completely surrounded by trees. It was a cold day outside Hogwarts, but this meadow was warm and sunny. In the center was a large willow tree, green branches swinging softly side to side. The three of them looked around, in complete awe of their surroundings.

"This place is amazing!" Albus said, kneeling down to run his hands over the lushious grass beneath his feet. Sindra, a bit dazed, began walking towards the willow tree. Scorpius was smiling just as wide as his friends, but he stood still, as though basking in the beauty of all of it. Soon the two boys followed Sindra, and they all sat beneath the tree, enjoying the warmth, and the shade, and everything. Scorpius sighed, and fell down on his back, looking up to watch the willow branches swing above him.

"It even smells good here…" He said, suddenly feeling so at ease he could fall asleep. Albus looked from Scorpius to Sindra, who had her eyes closed, taking deep breaths.

"It would be a nice place to do homework." Albus said, hating himself a little bit for saying it. Scorpius sat up, appalled.

"How dare you even mention homework in such a place." He said, causing the three of them to giggle profusely. Perhaps this weekend wasn't going to be as bad as they thought.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning at breakfast, the three Slytherins could hardly contain their excitement about the new secret area they found. "Should we tell Rose?" Sindra asked, almost bouncing out of her seat.

"I dunno, you don't think she'd turn us in, right?" Scorpius said, filling his plate with countless eggs and bacon. Albus, who had been stealing the food off of Scorpius' plate and putting it onto his, turned to look at Rose, who was doing homework over at the Gryffindor tables.

"Nah, I don't think she'd do anything. But let's not tell her yet. I like the idea of us having the place to ourselves." Albus said. Surprised, Sindra looked over at him.

"Really? I would have thought you were all for telling Rose." She said, noticing Albus sneaking more food from Scorpius' plate. She laughed. Scorpius stared down at his plate, and then looked at Albus, who had just finished shoving an entire egg in his mouth.

"You know there is an unlimited amount of food in front of you, right?" He asked, trying to withhold a grin. Albus smiled.

"But it tastes so much better if it wasn't meant for me." Albus laughed, taking one last piece of sausage from Scorpius' plate before the blonde could do anything about it.

"Oi! Give it back, theif!" Scorpius yelled, tackling Albus for the fork that held the sausage. Rolling onto the ground, Albus stretched out his arm - fork at his fingertips - just out of reach of Scorpius. As the two boys continued to fight, Sindra took out her wand and pointed it carefully at the fork.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" She said, and as she did so, the fork slipped from Albus' hand. The two boys stopped tackling each other and watched as their prize flew gracefully into Sindra's hand. She ate it, giggling to herself. Albus started laughing, and he and Scorpius got up. As they sat down at the table again, there was a loud screeching noise as the first owl flew into the Great Hall. As the usual mail was dropped in front of Scorpius and Albus - the Daily Prophet and a letter from Albus' mom, respectively - Sindra had also received a letter. It was addressed from her father, and she opened it with great enthusiasm. "This is the first time I've ever gotten a letter!" She said, almost dropping it with excitement.

"Really? I thought muggles had them, too." Scorpius said, leaning over to read Sindra's letter over her shoulder. Sindra raised an eyebrow at him.

"They do. But it's not as common as it used to be." She said, beginning to read her letter. After a few lines, she sighed.

"Oh, Sindra. I'm so sorry." Scorpius said, looking from the letter to his friend, putting his hand on her shoulder. Albus scooted closer, now looking concerned.

"What happened?" He asked, trying to read Sindra's face. She turned to him, looking discontented.

"Oh, my grandfather died." She said, sounding rather sour. Albus didn't know how to feel. Sindra didn't seem too upset about it, but he proceeded cautiously, anyway.

"I'm sorry, Sin." He said. The two boys watched as she folded up the letter and curtly put it in her bag.

"Don't be," she started, going back to her breakfast. "He was an old crook." Scorpius snorted in some of the pumpkin juice he had been drinking, and began coughing and sputtering violently.

"I know what you mean," he managed, still trying to catch his breath. Albus looked horrorstruck.

"How can you guys say that about your Grandparents?!" He said, appalled. Sindra looked at him blankly, but Scorpius started laughing.

"Al, my Granddad tried to kill your dad, remember?" Scorpius said, still laughing. Albus stared at him for a moment.

"Oh, yeah." He said, looking off into space. "I just couldn't imagine not having great grandparents, I guess." Sindra smiled.

"That's what i feel like about my Grandmama. She's amazing, I haven't the slightest idea why she would have married such a prude." Scorpius laughed again.

"Maybe he was different when he was younger," Albus said, but Sindra brushed that idea aside.

"Nah, my dad said he was mean to him. That's why I don't know him all that well, we didn't really go visit unless my Grandmama was alone for the weekend." She sighed. Scorpius patted her on the back.

"Don't feel down, Sin. Just remember my grandparents were murderers. Well, only two of them, I think." Scorpius said. Albus laughed.

"I'm not sure how that makes me feel, Scorp." Sindra giggled. "I suppose you don't visit them often, either?" Scorpius shook his head.

"Well, sometimes. But my mum doesn't like them, and my dad is sort of… rigid, around them." He looked thoughtful for a minute. Sindra smiled over at him.

"I should probably go pack." She said suddenly, pushing her unfinished breakfast aside and getting to her feet. Albus and Scorpius looked taken aback.

"Pack?" Albus asked, staring up at his friend, who was now zipping up her bag and throwing it over her shoulder.

"Yeah, for the funeral." She said, glancing around to make sure she had everything. The boys got to their feet as well.

"You have to go to it?" Scorpius questioned, confused. Sindra nodded.

"Well, yeah. Not that I'm excited to see my cousins, mind you. But maybe the old fart left me something, who knows." She said, smiling to herself. The three of them walked down to the dungeons, and after Sindra stopped to talk to Professor Slughorn about the funeral, they went to the dorms where Scorpius and Albus waited outside for her. After a few minutes, she came out with a medium suitcase.

"Isn't that a little big, Sin?" Albus said, staring down at the luggage. Sindra grinned.

"You know I can't bring an enchanted suitcase to a muggle funeral, right?" She said, pulling a coat over her shoulders. Albus was still staring at the luggage.

"But isn't that still too big? How long will you be gone for?" He asked, offering to take it for her. Sindra smiled and let him take it, and they began to leave the common room.

"Only a week." She said.

"A _week?_" Scorpius asked, dumbfounded. "Why on earth would a funeral take a whole week?" Sindra giggled again.

"Because my Grandmama lives in Cornwall, and that's a four hour drive from London. Besides, there's going to be a ton of family there." She said, smiling at her friends' dumbstruck faces. "Come on," she continued, "Let's go find Professor Longbottom, Slughorn said he'll take me to the train." The three of them walked out into the dungeons, and came to a halt only when they got to the stairs leading up into the main hall. Albus took out his wand and pointed it at the suitcase.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" He said, as the suitcase lifted gracefully into the air. He pushed the it in front of them, and the others followed. Scorpius looked over at Sindra, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"You alright?" He asked, watching as she looked over at him and smiled.

"Yeah. I'm just thinking about what it's gonna be like when I'm over there. It's going to be weird seeing my cousins again. I think it's been about 4 years since we last had to spend time together." She said, looking thoughtful. Scorpius patted her shoulder.

"You'll be fine. You'll at least get to see your parents again." He offered, grinning hopefully. She nodded. As they stepped up into the main hall, Albus lowered the suitcase and began pulling it behind him again. They walked up the the entrance doorway, where Professor Longbottom was admiring the intricate designs on the door. The three strode over to him, and he looked down at them, smiling.

"You know I've always loved these doors," He started, turning back towards the entryway. "To me, they were much more than just the entrance to our school. They were the entrance to another life." He smiled. Sindra's eyes lit up, and she grinned widely.

"I've never thought of it like that," She said, now looking up at the doors with awe on her face. Albus and Scorpius looked at each other skeptically.

"Yeahhh, that's great Neville. So about that Herbology homework, remind me what that was again?" Albus said, smirking up at the Professor. Sindra noticed Scorpius crossing his fingers behind his back, and she giggled softly. Professor Longbottom raised an eyebrow.

"Don't think I didn't notice you two not showing up to class. Just because your parents and I are friends doesn't mean I'm not going to treat you the same as all my other students. You aren't getting that homework from me." He said, trying to hold back a smile as Scorpius and Albus exchanged betrayed looks.

"But Neville-"

"And you really shouldn't call me Neville at school, you know." He added. He then turned to Sindra and asked, "Are you ready to leave?" Sindra nodded, taking the suitcase back from Albus. She looked at her two friends and grinned.

"Well, I'll see you guys later." She said. Professor Longbottom opened the doors, and lead her outside into the grounds. She turned, and they waved their goodbyes.

"So who do you think will have the homework, then?" Albus asked, turning around and beginning to walk toward the dungeons again. Scorpius sighed.

"We've asked pretty much everyone. I suppose there's always Randall…" He said, snorting. Albus laughed.

When Professor Longbottom and Sindra got to Hogsmeade station, the train had yet to arrive. So he took her to get some ice cream, and they sat down at a bench in front of the tracks.

"How is it?" He asked. Sindra took another spoonful before answering.

"It's very good, thank you." She said, putting her spoon back into the ice cream. "When is the train supposed to come?" She asked, looking around the station. Neville sighed, and looked around as well. There were some others waiting for the train, but the station was relatively empty.

"To be honest, it was already supposed to be here." He laughed. "They aren't nearly as punctual during the school year." Sindra smiled weakly. Neville glanced over at her. "You doing alright?" He asked, looking worried.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry Professor." She said, looking up at Neville. "It's just… My family." She finished.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, watching her set her ice cream cup to the side. Sindra sighed.

"My dad doesn't really get along with his siblings. He didn't get along with his dad, either. But he's the oldest and it's tradition for our family to give most things to the oldest son. I guess… I'm just worried how my family will react to whatever my grandfathers' will says." She finished, taking in a deep breath. Neville straightened up in his seat. He looked out at their surroundings thoughtfully for a minute, and then turned back to Sindra.

"I'm not going to pretend I know much about this kind of situation, but…" He started, "Family is family. Even if they don't always get along, they'll get over it. Maybe this experience will bring your family together." He finished, trying his best to give a comforting look to Sindra. She looked amused, but also grateful.

"I doubt it, but I suppose there's always hope. Thanks Professor." She grinned. Just then, they heard a loud whistling sound, and in the distance, could see white smoke billowing into the air.

"Ah, looks like our train is here." Neville said, getting to his feet. Sindra stood up as well, grasping her suitcase.

After the long train ride, Neville took Sindra into the main part of King's Cross Station, and the two of them found a place to sit down.

"Where did your parents want to meet you?" He asked, watching Sindra as she opened her suitcase and rummaged through it. She didn't answer him immediately.

"Now, where did i put that stupid thing?" She said to herself, reaching down into her suitcase. "Ah!" she exclaimed, pulling out a cell phone. Holding down the power button, she waited as the phone turned itself on. Neville watched her, fascinated. She pressed a few buttons, and then put the phone up to her ear and waited. "Hey, Mum. You guys at the station yet?" She paused, zipping her suitcase back up. "Yeah, alright. Meet you out front then." Sindra stowed her phone in her pocket and turned to Neville. He smiled, and they walked out into the front to be greeted by Sindra's parents.

"Professor, these are my parents- Diane and Reginald Bates. Dad, Mum, this is Professor Longbottom. He's my herbology teacher." Sindra said, smiling up at the adults. Diane, a tall brunette, gave a warm grin and held out her hand. Neville took it, beaming. When he took a good look at Sindra's father on the other hand, his smile faltered. Reginald, whose wavy black hair brushed across his face messily, stared back, an eyebrow raised.

"Something the matter?" He asked, holding out his own hand for Neville to take. Neville recovered, and shook his head.

"Excuse me, you just looked familiar for a second." Neville said, taking Reginald's hand. "You know, you have quite a talented daughter." The three of them looked down at Sindra, who turned red. Reginald grinned widely.

"Ah, well I already knew that much." He said, looking rather pleased with himself. Diane ruffled Sindra's hair, beaming just as widely as her husband.

"Mum!" Sindra laughed, pulling away from her mother and flattening her hair. "You know it gets all puffy when you do that!" Neville couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Well, I ought to get going. I have a class starting in a few minutes." Neville said, looking at his pocketwatch. Diane looked at him questioningly.

"A few minutes? But doesn't-" She started, but was quieted by her daughter.

"Mum, adults wizards can apparate." Sindra said, grabbing her moms hand and starting to pull her away. Diane still looked confused, but went along anyway. Reginald bowed his head to Neville, and wished him farewell.

"It was nice to meet you." He said, turning to walk alongside his wife. Neville watched as the three of them walked away.


	9. Chapter 9

When Sindra and her parents pulled up the the large Bates' estate, there were already several cars parked in the driveway. They parked beside a white Rolls-Royce, and Sindra shrunk into her seat.

"Dad, you didn't say Granddad's brother would be here, too…" She said, glaring at the back of her father's seat. Reginald gave her a sympathetic look from the rearview mirror.

"Sorry Sindy, but if I had you wouldn't have come, would you?" He gave a small chuckle upon seeing Sindra's betrayed look. Diane turned in her seat and looked at her daughter.

"Don't worry dear, we won't make you share a room with him or anything." Reginald snorted loudly, and Diane giggled as Sindra crunched up her nose in disgust. The three of them got out, and began to unpack the car. As Sindra reached for her things, a small blonde girl came running out of the house in their direction. Sindra barely had time to think before the girl pounced on her, squeezing her with a tight hug.

"SINDY SINDY SINDY SINDY SINDY SINDY! I AM SO SO SO SO SO GLAD YOU ARE HERE, OH MY GOD!" The girl shrieked, continuing to hug Sindra mercilessly. Sindra held back a groan, mostly because she couldn't breathe.

"Hi, Adelaide." She managed, taking in a deep breath as Adelaide finally released her. Her cousin gave her a huge grin, and began bouncing around her enthusiastically.

"So, did you hear? I got a boyfriend! His name is Henry and we are SO perfect together! Seriously, we are going to be together forever- Here, look!" Adelaide shoved a bright pink phone into Sindra's face. Sindra backed away, taking the phone lightly. She blinked down at the photo.

"That's great, Addie. But, aren't you still only 10?" Sindra said, handing the phone back to her cousin. Adelaide took her phone and giggled profusely.

"Oh, Sindy! Age is just a number, silly!" She said, suddenly grasping onto Sindra's wrist and pulling her toward the mansion. Sindra stared back at her father who mouthed "Sorry" to her as she was dragged away from him. Diane put her hand on her husband's shoulder.

"She'll forgive you someday." She said, trying not to laugh.

Adelaide pulled Sindra all the way into the drawing room, where all of her other cousins were sitting around, the youngest ones babbling away while the others played on their phones. As they entered, all of them looked up. Each and every one of them had the same light blonde hair as Adelaide, but none of the others seemed as excited at her appearance. The eldest, a boy named Austin, called out to them.

"Oi, Sindy. I didn't think you'd come." He said, looking rather taken aback. Austin, who was 2 years older than Sindra, was the "leader" of her group of cousins. He was notoriously bossy, and had a special talent of convincing the others to take the fall for problems he created. Out of all her cousins, Sindra hated him the most.

"Well, I guess you were wrong." Sindra said, enjoying the dirty look he gave her. Adelaide, not sensing the tension, pulled Sindra down into the middle of the group. Austin smirked.

"Aren't you supposed to be at some boarding school, anyway?" He questioned, trying to read Sindra's expression. Sindra looked at him blankly.

"Yeah, but I got the week off. They let you do that when a family member dies." She said, trying her best to say it as blandly as she could. "God, if only I could jinx him." She thought to herself, cracking a small smile as she did so. Austin was about to press her further, but luckily for Sindra, her Aunt Julia poked her head into the room.

"Alright kids, dinner is on the table. Make sure you all go wash your hands!" She said brightly, before leaving again. Everybody got to their feet, and began to meander over to the dining room. Sindra sighed with relief, and made her way to her parents, who were already sitting at the dinner table. She walked up to her father and whispered in his ear, "I'm already dying." Reginald laughed, and shooed her away to the kid's table a few feet away. As Sindra sat down besides Adelaide and her 5 year old cousin Miranda, her grandmother Oriana walked into the room. Oriana, a tall woman with golden-grey hair pulled back into a bun, gave a few looks around the table before smiling. She sat down at the head of the table, before turning to Reginald, who was sitting beside her. Sindra couldn't quite make out what she was saying to her father, but since it looked important, she made a mental note to ask him about it later. She watched their interactions closely as she ate her dinner, getting more intrigued by the second.

"What do you think, Sindy?" Adelaide said loudly, pressing herself into Sindra's side of the table. Sindra jumped in her seat.

"What?" She asked, having completely forgotten her cousins were even there. Austin, who was sitting across from her, flashed her his signature smirk.

"We were wondering why Uncle Reggie has black hair, since neither Granddad or Nan had dark hair." He said, still smirking. Sindra was surprised. She looked from her father, down to her own black hair. Truthfully, she had never thought about it before. But now that she was, she couldn't come up with a single idea why that would ever be.

"I don't know…" She said, pressing her mind for a possible solution. "Maybe there's some gene somewhere that gave him dark hair." Austin watched her like a hawk.

"You sure? I reckon maybe Uncle Reggie isn't really part of our family. Maybe he brainwashed Nan into thinking he was her son." Sindra glared at him.

"You're stupid." She said, lacking a better response. Angrily, she threw her fork onto her plate and got up from the table. Giving one last hateful glance at her oldest cousin, Sindra left the table and went to go find the room she'd be staying in for the week. After scouring through the rooms looking for her suitcase, she finally found it. She threw herself face-down onto the bed, and let out a loud groan. There was a soft knock on the door.

"Sindy, you in there?" Her father's voice came from the other side of the doorway. Sindra grunted loudly in response, and her father entered the room. He walked over and sat down on the bed beside her. "I'm sorry you had to come to this," he started. "Honestly, I didn't want to myself." Sindra rolled over to look at her dad.

"Dad, why is your hair black?" She asked. At first, Reginald looked taken aback, but then he smiled and nodded softly to himself.

"I've been asking myself that question since I was your age, Sindy. I still don't really have an answer. Is that what Austin was bothering you about?" He answered, looking down at her. Sindra responding by shoving her face back into the blankets. Reginald sighed.

"Sindra, this week will be over before you know it, I promise."

The morning of the funeral hadn't come quickly enough for Sindra, having spent the last week attempting to avoid nearly all social interactions with her relatives, specifically Austin and her obnoxious Great-Uncle. As her parents and her got ready for the day, Diane leaned over to Sindra.

"Sweetheart, can you go downstairs for me and ask your Uncle John when breakfast is?" Diane asked. Sindra nodded, and left to go downstairs. After receiving her answer, she walked back upstairs, but stopped when she heard her grandmother's voice.

"Come in," Diane said, Sindra watched from afar as her grandmother walked into the room. "Ah, Oriana, to what do we owe the pleasure?" She heard her mom say as the door closed behind them. Sindra snuck up the remainder of the stairs, and pressed her ear against the door.

"Now why would she close the door…?" Sindra thought to herself, quietly pulling on the handle and opening the door just enough so that the could see inside.

"Is Reggie in here?" Oriana asked, looking around for her son. Reginald, who had been in the bathroom combing his hair, walked out to greet his mother.

"I'm here, Mum," He said, still running the comb through his hair. Oriana smiled at her son.

"May I speak to you and Diane? There's something I need to tell you two." She said, looking rather serious.

"Of course. What is it?" Reggie asked. Oriana sighed and sat down on the bed beside Diane. Reginald sat on the other side her, looking a little concerned. "Mum?" He asked, turned his head slightly to the side questioningly.

"Do you remember when you were a child, and Felix got drunk and started yelling that you weren't his?" Oriana said, looking over at her son. Reginald nodded. "Well," Oriana continued, "He was right." There was silence, as Reginald looked from his mother to his wife. Outside the room, Sindra's heart pounded in her head. She pressed herself as hard as she could into the oak door. Reginald finally broke the silence.

"Okay. So who is my father, then?" He asked, taking deep breaths. His mother smiled, and got to her feet. She walked over to the vanity across from the bed, and looked into the mirror at her own reflection.

"It was a long time ago. I was just a girl… but I was in love." She looked back at her son and daughter-in-law. "His name was Reggie." She said. Diane gasped, and Reginald got to his feet.

"You named me after him?" Reginald said, staring off into the distance, dumbfounded. He looked back at his mother. She gazed into his eyes lovingly.

"Yes. And you look just like him, too." She said, looking back into the mirror. Sindra couldn't believe her ears. She needed to know more. Reginald began pacing around the room.

"Alright. Okay." He said, reassuring himself. Oriana took yet another deep breath in. Diane stared at her, looking as if there wasn't anything in the world she wasn't ready to hear. "Mum, who was he? How did you meet? Why didn't you marry him?" Reginald asked, sitting back down on the bed. Oriana's smile faltered. She thought for a moment before answering.

"We were childhood sweethearts. I met him one day playing in the river down the road from my home. He was just a boy, very distant from everybody. But I managed to befriend him, and soon we became best friends. I didn't marry him…" She trailed off. Looking a little pained, she turned around and leaned against the vanity. "I didn't marry him because he died." Silence. It was so silent, Sindra was surprised her family couldn't hear her breathing. Finally, after a minute of complete shock, Oriana spoke. "It's a long story, Reggie. But I thought I should tell you." She turned again, and opened the top drawer in the vanity. After digging through a few of the dusty papers that were within it, she procured one of them, along with silver chain with a glass orb hanging down gracefully from it. She took them with her and sat down between her son and his wife again. "This is the last gift he ever gave me." She gave the paper to Reginald. Sindra watched as he read the letter, his face gradually becoming more melancholy. Thinking quickly, Sindra closed the door as quietly as she could, before opening it again loudly and walking through.

"Mum, Uncle John says breakfast will be ready in 15 minutes." She said, feigning ignorance of the whole situation. The three adults jumped in their seats and Reginald quickly threw his arms behind him, hiding what Sindra knew to be her Grandfather's letter. After staring at them awkwardly for a few seconds, she asked "...So, how's it going?" Oriana got to her feet and gave a warm smile to her granddaughter.

"I was just leaving dear, I'll see you at breakfast." She said, placing her hand fondly on Sindra's head. As she strolled out the door, Sindra turned to see a glimmer of silver dangling from her fingers. When she spun around again, Reginald was over at the other end of the room, closing his suitcase. Diane stood up.

"Should we all go downstairs, then?" She asked, looking from Sindra to her husband. Reginald nodded, and they walked to the doorway.

"I'll meet you down there in a sec." Sindra said, walking over to her own suitcase, and beginning to rummage through it. Her parents looked at each other suspiciously, but shook it off.

"Okay Sindy, we'll see you down there." Diane said, and the two of them left the room. Sindra carefully walked over to the doorway and made sure her parents were walking down the stairs before turning towards her father's suitcase. She lifted the top, and with trembling hands, picked up the letter.

_My love, My Oriana_

_By the time you read this, I'll be gone. For that, I am truly sorry. I know I haven't told you much about what I have to do, but believe me when I say I'd rather still be there lying next to you. Please, go and live a full life for me. Marry Felix, and be happy. Knowing you'll be safe is all that's driving me, otherwise I don't think I'd have the strength to do this. I don't want this to end. I love you so much. But I am responsible for so much, and must pay the debt that I owe. I love you. All I have to leave you are my memories, watch over them. Don't forget me. I'll be thinking only of you when the darkness consumes me. I love you. I love you._

_RAB_


	10. Chapter 10

As Sindra finished reading the letter, she quickly turned around to face the vanity and put the letter down on its counter. She searched fervently for a pen and paper, and upon finding one she scribbled her grandfather's note word for word onto her own scrap paper. When she finished, she stowed her copy away in her suitcase, and replaced the original letter back in her father's. Her mind was a mix of emotions, but her excitement won out; she nearly sprinted out of the room and down the stairs to meet the rest of her family for breakfast. When she got there, the table had already been filled with all sorts of bacon, eggs, and pastries. As she sat down to eat, she could think of nothing else but that letter her grandfather had written.

"This explains the dark hair, I suppose…" She thought to herself, smiling. She thought of nothing else all breakfast, and it wasn't until Oriana stood up at the end of the table when she directed her attention away from her thoughts. The whole table quieted, and they all waited for Oriana to speak.

"As soon as you are all finished with your breakfast, we will begin the service for Felix." She said, and with the abundance of nods, she left the room. The others finished quickly after that, and soon they were all being seated in a large parlor down the hall from the dining room. The service went smoothly, but Sindra couldn't stop thinking about her real grandfather, wondering wildly what he was like. As the family slowly filtered into the drawing room nearby, Oriana took Sindra and Adelaide aside.

"What is it, Nana?" Asked Adelaide, whose usual bounce had been deadened slightly by the funeral service. Oriana bent down to their level and stroked Adelaide's golden hair fondly.

"I have a present for you," She said, reaching into her bag and pulling out two necklaces. Sindra's eyes widened as she saw the shiny silver chain and clear glass orb that she had spied earlier that morning. The other necklace was a string or pearls, something Adelaide had always been quite fond of. "This one is for you, Addie." Oriana held out the pearls to Adelaide, who immediately regained all of her enthusiasm.

"Really Nana? Wow, it's so pretty!" She said, taking the pearls and swirling the necklace around in her hand. Adelaide, excited with her new jewelry, skipped away to show her mother. Oriana turned to Sindra.

"I suspect you already know what this is," She said, holding out the necklace for Sindra to take. Sindra stared at her grandmother, surprised. "You may have been sneaky enough for your parents not to see you, but I have more experience." She grinned. Sindra giggled and took the necklace in her hand. As soon as she touched it, the glass orb swirled to life. Silver wisps spun gracefully around in the sphere, and both Sindra and Oriana stared down at it, shocked. "It's never done that, before…" Oriana said, watching the strings of silver flow silkily around and around. Sindra clasped it around her neck, and hugged her grandmother.

"Thank you, Grandmama. This means a lot to me." Oriana smiled sweetly and squeezed her granddaughter tightly. She then stood up at made her way back into the crowd of her family, and Sindra gazed down to admire the silver wisps spinning softly inside the orb.

"I guess this week wasn't all bad," Sindra said to herself, smiling. Hearing the scuffling of feet, Sindra looked around to see that the adults were beginning to file into Felix's old office. "Oh, that's right," She thought to herself, having completely forgotten about the will. The other older kids had noticed as well, and they watched with great interest as the door closed behind them. Austin stolled over to Sindra with an evil grin on his face.

"Will you go broke, do you think?" He asked threateningly. Sindra, who had mentally prepared herself for some type of clever beration, rolled her eyes.

"Idiot- even if we don't inherit, it doesn't mean we lose the money we already had." She said, turning to find a chair to sit in as she waited for her parents to return. Austin followed her.

"My mum says your dad doesn't make that much. She says you guys might have to move to East End." Austin said, circling around Sindra, who was now propped up in a cushioned chair. Sindra laughed.

"Just because Aunt Julia can't live without her yacht and diamond jewelry doesn't mean those who can are poor." Sindra grinned, watching with satisfaction as Austin's smirk turn into a sneer.

"Whatever." He said, seeming to lose his enthusiasm. He walked away, looking a bit distraught, which made Sindra very happy. Soon after, the door to Felix's office opened and Oriana walked out. As the others also made their way out of the room, Sindra sat patiently until she saw her parents. She noticed there was a strange tension between all of the adults, and wondered wildly what could have possibly gone on inside. Reginald and Diane walked over to her.

"Are you all ready to get packed and leave?" Reginald said, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. Sindra eyed him questioningly, but the gave him a big grin.

"Am I ever." She said, jumping from her seat and bolted as fast as she could up the stairs and into their bedroom. Her parents laughed and followed her, and by the time they got to the room, Sindra had already changed into sweatpants and a jacket, and was sitting beside her suitcase ready to leave.

"Boy, somebody can't wait to get out of here," Diane said, ruffling Sindra's hair and beginning to put away her own things. Reginald did the same, and Sindra smiled secretly when she heard the rustling of paper from her dad's suitcase.

"Can you blame her?" Reginald said, grabbing his coat from the closet and finishing up his packing. Diane looked sympathetically at the two of them.

"No, not at all." She said, walking into the bathroom to gather toiletries. Sindra yawned, and then looked over at her father.

"So, what did the will say?" She asked, watching carefully to see her father's facial expression. He smiled.

"Half went to the estate, which of course belongs to your grandmother. The other half was split evenly between us siblings." Reginald said, as Diane walked back into the main room and zipped up her own luggage. Sindra didn't dare ask the question she was thinking- which was of course, "Does that even include you?" So instead, she just nodded. After they finished looking around the room for spare items they might have overlooked, the three of them made their way to the car. They said their goodbyes to their family, Sindra giving one last menacing glare at Austin, who seemed to be very upset by the news that his mother wouldn't be getting all of the inheritance. Finally the trip to Cornwall was over.

It was late Sunday morning when Sindra finally reached her beloved school again. It seemed ages since she had even picked up her wand, let alone used it. As she entered the great hall, starving for some breakfast, she scanned the tables looking for Albus and Scorpius. Much to her surprise, she found them sitting at the Hufflepuff table, along with Rose and James. She walked over to him, and as soon as Rose noticed her, she screamed, ran from the table, and welcomed her with warm and very enthusiastic hug.

"Sin, I am so glad you're back! I made sure Albus got all the assignments that you missed all set up for you! And why didn't you come say goodbye to me before you left?" Rose was rocking Sindra back and forth in her everlasting hug, which, despite reminding her of Adelaide's greeting, made Sindra very happy. Albus, Scorpius, and James made their way over to her as well, each grinning widely.

"Good to have you back, Sin!" said James, who seemed to have grown much taller since the last time Sindra had seen him.

"Rose, for goodness sake," Albus started, trying to pry Rose away from Sindra. "She's our best friend, not yours, you know." Rose finally let go, only to stand there and watch as neither Scorpius nor Albus approached to greet Sindra. The two slytherin boys looked at each other awkwardly, seemingly confused over whether or not they should hug her. Sindra, who noticed their hesitation, simply laughed.

"Man, it's good to see you guys again." She said, dragging them all back to the part of the table that had Rose's homework spread across it. "But uh," She looked around, confused. "Why are we sitting at the Hufflepuff table, exactly?" Each and every one of her friends let out a groan. Scorpius began to explain.

"Well since you left we've spent more time with Rose and Butthead over here, and you know Slytherins and their weird feelings about Gryffindors hanging around their tables too much." Scorpius started, but James cut him off.

"Oi, watch who you're calling a Butthead, Blondie. But anyway, apparently a lot of Gryffindors aren't too keen on Malfoy here. Old prejudices die hard, I guess." James continued, taking a swig from the glass sitting in front of him.

"And since none of the Hufflepuffs we know are giant pricks, they're letting us use their table during breaks and stuff." Albus finished. Sindra smiled sweetly.

"Well, that's really nice of them." She said, reaching out to grab some papers Rose was holding out for her. "What're these?" She asked, reading the parchment.

"Just some notes," Rose said, gather a few more to hand to Sindra. "So you know what we went over in class. I figured even if we didn't always have the class together to basics would be the same." Sindra stared down at Rose's notes, raising an eyebrow.

"These don't really look basic to me," Sindra said, turning page after page of intricate writing over on the table. Albus laughed.

"Oh, but you know Rose, Sin. Those _are_ basic notes for her." Sindra giggled, but Rose shot Albus a haughty look.

"Poke fun all you want Al, but you'll get what's coming to you come exam time." She said, ending her sentence by sticking her tongue out at her cousin. Albus did the same, and as the five of them laughed, Sindra suddenly remembered what had happened on her trip.

"GUYS!" She yelled, making the four others jump in their seats. "I have to tell you something!" She said, heaving her suitcase onto the table, atop of all the others' paperwork. They all stared at her intrigued, and watched carefully as she rummaged through her luggage to find the letter from her grandfather that she had copied. After finding it, she hastily zipped her suitcase back together and threw it back onto the ground again. "Now, before I show this to you guys, there's something you have to know." She lowered her voice, and her four friends looked at her, excitement gleaming in their eyes.

"What is it?" Rose asked, but was shushed by Albus.

"When I was at the funeral, I overheard my Grandmama telling my mum and dad about a lover she had when she was younger." Rose gasped, and was again shushed by Albus. Rose picked up some of the parchment in front of her, and smacked Albus on the shoulder with them.

"Stop shushing me!" She whispered loudly, and Albus had to stifle his laughter before Sindra could continue.

"She told my dad that this lover was his real father- _my_ real grandfather- and that he left her one last gift before he died." The four of them looked at Sindra, shocked. She grinned. "Just wait- there's more!" She said, handing the her copy of the letter to Rose to read out loud. As Rose read out the letter, she kept adding in her own "Oh my gosh!"s and "He was so sweet!"s, so James yanked the letter from her hand to read it out himself. As James finished reading the letter, he stared off into space, seemingly deep in thought about something. Albus quickly swiped the letter away to reread it with Scorpius.

"R, A, B? That sounds really familiar to me…" James said, trying to rack his brains for any relating memory. Albus read over the letter twice more before handing in back to Sindra.

"Sin, you know what this means, right?" He said, almost leaping out of his seat with excitement. Sindra looked at him questioningly. "It means that this _has _to be your wizard relative! I'd bet anything on it!" Sindra looked dazed.

"I hadn't even thought about that!" She said, now looking more exuberant than ever before. Rose leaned over and took the paper from Sindra again, reading it over.

"How old is your grandmother, Sin?" She asked, digging through the countless papers in front of her to find something she didn't mind scribbling on. Sindra thought for a moment before answering.

"56, I think." She said, trying to remember exactly which year her grandmother was born. Rose nodded and did some calculations on the paper, scanning it a few times before she spoke.

"So, chances are your real grandfather was about the same age as your grandmother, right? And if she is 56 that means she was born in 1961, which meeeaaannnsss…" She quickly scribbled another equation on the parchment. "He must have started to Hogwarts during 1972, or at least 1973. There might be some old documents and statistics about students in the library we can go look at." Rose finished, looking up to see Sindra beaming at her. Scorpius, however, groaned.

"Why does everything you do always lead us to the library?" He asked. Rose glared at him, standing up to start gathering her things together.

"Well then! We don't have all day!" Albus said, also beginning to put his stuff away, and motioning to Scorpius that he should do the same. Scorpius rolled his eyes, but obliged anyway.

"But we do have all day. It's Sunday." Scorpius murmured, throwing his belongings carelessly into his bag. Albus, who had overheard his friend, chuckled softly. James, who had still been staring off into the distance trying to remember where he saw RAB before, suddenly came back into reality.

"Wha? Where are you all going?" He asked, grabbing his own bag and starting to follow the other four as the left the table and walked out into the main hall.

"To the library, of course!" Rose replied over her shoulder, making James stop in his tracks.

"Uh, I just remembered- I told Dominique I'd help her out with some... charms." He said, swinging his bag over his shoulder. Scorpius turned around and smirked.

"Good riddance, filthy Gryffindor!" He called back, and James stuck out his tongue before turning and walking the other direction. Albus and Sindra laughed, but Rose flashed Scorpius a disapproving glance.

"Please consider your present company, Malfoy." She said. Sindra giggled.

"Ooo, you've done it now, Scorp." She said, nodding towards Rose. Scorpius raised his eyebrows, then sighed and jogged to catch up with Rose.

"Oi, I was only joking, Rose. Please don't put me on last name basis again!" He begged, dramatically grasping Rose's wrist and pulling her downward as he kneeled on one knee. "I don't know how I'd go on without your approval!" He said loudly, attracting some stares from other students. Sindra and Albus burst into laughter, and Rose couldn't help but smile, even as she tried to keep her composure.

"Scorpius, let go- people are looking!" She said, but Scorpius was now rubbing his cheek against her hand. "What are you _DOING_?" She now began laughing as Scorpius kept serenading her.

"My sweet auburn plumcake! How I adore you!" Scorpius was now yelling, causing Rose to start shushing him violently.

"Alright ALRIGHT, I forgive you, okay? Just shut up!" She laughed, finally managing to pull her hand away from Scorpius as he got to his feet again. Scorpius grinned.

"Don't make me do it again, now." He said. Rose just rolled her eyes, and the four of them began walking to the library once more.


	11. Chapter 11

When they reached the library, the three Slytherins sat down at a table as Rose went to talk to the Librarian. When she came back, she seemed a little disgruntled.

"What's up?" Albus asked, watching as she walked by the table and over to the bookcase behind them. She ran her fingers down the sides of some large dusty books, sighing as she picked one and heaved it over to the others.

"Apparently there are lists of all previous students," She said, slamming the large book down on the table, sending dust flying everywhere. "But we aren't allowed to access them." She finished, opening the cover. The other three looked down at the book questioningly.

"What's that, then?" Sindra asked her, leaning over to take a better look at the book. Rose sighed.

"Well, it's our best bet. Year 1950-2000 Hogwarts Quidditch Records." Rose said, scanning down the index looking for the year 1972. When she found it, she quickly flipped through the pages and opened it to the beginning of the 1972 school year.

"Oi, but what if Sindra's granddad didn't play Quidditch?" Scorpius asked, leaning back in his chair, stroking his hair. Rose rolled her eyes and began reading the names down the page aloud. Sindra came over to Rose's side and read along to herself as well, excitement welling up inside her. Scorpius pulled his chair back to normal and turned to Albus. "I thought that was a pretty decent question, didn't you?" He asked. Albus nodded.

"Yeah, but I think that's really besides the point now, Scorp. This is all we can use." Albus said, only to be interrupted by Rose.

"Do you mind?" She asked, and as the two boys backed off, she continued reading. She listed off name after name, until she got to the winner of the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup for that year. "Aww, hey! Hufflepuff won this year! Way to go, Emaline Post!" Rose exclaimed, as Sindra giggled. Scorpius rolled his eyes, and Albus tapped impatiently at the table.

"Come on Rose, nobody cares about Hufflepuff." Albus said, immediately regretting it as Rose turned to him, glaring. "Oi, I didn't mean it like that. It's just, we got Sindra's granddad to find, right?" He said, crossing his fingers behind his back hoping that Rose would let it slide. She sighed, and turned to the next page.

"We can probably skim through the next few years," She started, running her finger quickly across all of the names, plays, and match results. "We already know Uncle Harry was the youngest seeker of that century, so chances are if Sindra's granddad even did play Quidditch, he was most likely on the team in his later years. Also, keep in mind he could have been in ANY house, not just Slytherin." Rose added, mentioning this last part directly towards Albus. Nobody spoke. She stopped to look up at the others, who were all staring at her. "What?" She asked, blushing slightly.

"Wouldn't he probably be a Slytherin?" Albus asked, "The houses usually stay in the family, yeah? I know I'm an exception but in general…"

"Well, I say that because families tend to teach their kids qualities that they admire, so most families are put in the same Hogwarts house. That being said, it doesn't always work that way. Parents aren't the only influence with personality, you know. Also specifically in Sindra's case, her dad wasn't even raised by his real father, and she's removed an entire generation from him- meaning he could have been a completely different type of person, which also means he could have been any house." Rose finished, taking in a deep breath. Scorpius and Albus stared at her- mouths open- completely dumbfounded.

"Wow, Rose!" Sindra said. Rose blushed even further at the reactions.

"Let's keep going," She said, face still red. She began to run through the names again, reading them aloud just as before. They got through 1973, 1974, and 1975 with no luck, but there was a Ravenclaw chaser in 1976 named Robin A. Barlow that caught their attention.

"Can't Robin also be a girls' name?" Scorpius asked. Sindra stared at the name, thinking to herself. Albus nodded in agreement.

"Well yes, we certainly aren't going to stop with them. But I'll write their name down, anyway." Rose said, scribbling down the name on some parchment she had nearby.

"ALBUS!"

The group turned to the entrance of the library to see James panting, holding his chest. The librarian glared at James.

"Mr. Potter, please do not interrupt the studies of the other children." she said. James waved weakly at her.

"Sorry," he said, still panting. He walked over the group and sat down. "Guys," he said breathily. "I've seen those initials before." The all stared at him, shocked. "Sindra, do you remember what that signature actually looked like? Did you copy it down exactly?" He asked. The others turned to Sindra as she thought back to when she first read her grandfather's letter.

"Oh, well I suppose the R and B were connected. It went down into a little point beneath the A. I didn't really think much of it." James looked as if he was about to explode.

"I knew it! I've seen that signature before! My dad has a letter written by him!" James, said. Everybody was so shocked, they all just sat there in complete silence. Albus was the first to recover.

"Why does dad have a letter from Sindra's granddad?" He asked, staring at his brother. James sat up.

"I didn't exactly ask him, Al. But he did say it was written by Sirius's brother." Albus and Rose gasped. Sindra looked questioningly at them.

"Who's Sirius?" She asked, curiously. Rose bounced out of her seat and disappeared behind the bookshelves. "Uhhh…" Sindra said, still just as confused as before. James smiled at her.

"Sirius Black is our dad's Godfather. He was in the Order of the Phoenix, and they fought against Voldemort." James said, but Sindra just stared at him.

"I really only understood that first part." Sindra said. Rose returned, walking up beside Sindra and sat down next to her. She lay a book before Sindra labeled "The History of The Second Wizarding War." Sindra stared at the title.

"Oh? Is this the war you were talking about, Al?" Sindra asked Albus, who nodded at her. Sindra, suddenly remembering a conversation from the months earlier, looked over at Scorpius. He was staring at the book, rather rigid. Scorpius looked at her, and smiled weakly.

"Don't worry. Go ahead and read it." He said. Sindra nodded, and with Rose's guidance, opened to a chapter labeled 'The Wrongful Imprisonment of Sirius Black.' As Sindra read it, she felt a strange sensation in her chest.

"This is my great-uncle then, right?" She said, reading further. "This is really depressing." She looked up at her friends. Rose placed her hand softly on her shoulder, comforting her. Sindra pushed the book away from her, and looked over at Scorpius again. He smiled back at her.

"Hey, don't get down about it, Sin. Think of it this way- if you're a Black, that means we're related." Scorpius said, grinning. Sindra squinted at him.

"...How closely?" She asked. Scorpius blinked, his cheeks showing just the tiniest bit of pink. He shook it off, stroking his hair and smirking.

"Not close at all, really. Just related. I'm pretty sure Sirius was my Nan's cousin. That'd make us like, fifth cousins or something." He said, counting on his fingers. Rose raised an eyebrow.

"That would make you third cousins, Scorpius." She said, but upon seeing Sindra's horrified look she quickly continued, "Sin, that's like barely related! Besides, every pure-blood is related. You're even related to Albus and me through somewhere." Rose smiled widely, trying to read Sindra's face. She looked shocked for a minute, but then started to laugh. The others looked at one another, a bit startled. After Sindra's laughter died down, she turned and hugged Rose.

"What is going on?" James asked, entirely nonplussed. Sindra giggled again.

"Nothing, I've just always disliked my extended family. You guys are a real improvement." Rose squealed with delight and hugged Sindra closer, while the three boys grimaced. James leaned over to pull the girls apart, but Rose slapped his hand and glared at him. James rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Rose. We don't even know this guy's name yet, no family reunions or mushy crap allowed." Sindra pulled away from Rose.

"Sure we know his name. It's Reggie Black, rig-" Sindra stopped dead, having just realized something. "You guys… When I was getting sorted, the sorting hat knew who I was." Albus laughed.

"Of course it knew who you were, it can read your mind, or something." Albus said, but Sindra shook her head.

"No, I don't mean like that. He said I was a Black! I didn't even think anything of it at first, I mean it was a talking hat and I was still pretty weirded out by all this magic stuff- but it definitely said something about it!" She said, standing up, excitement bubbling out from her. The others looked at her incredulously.

"I guess that means this guy is really your grandfather then," Albus said, taking the Quidditch Records book on the table and spinning it around to face him. "You think we could still find him in here? He'd be in Gryffindor like Sirius, yeah?" Scorpius leaned over to look at the book as well.

"Uhh, no." He started, patting Albus on the head. "Sirius was like, the only Black ever to be a Gryffindor. Try Slytherin." Albus eyed Scorpius curiously, but then began to skim through the pages as the others continued talking.

"James, do you know what the letter was about? Was it addressed to Uncle Harry?" Rose asked, getting out some parchment to take notes on. James shook his head.

"Nah. Dad took it away before I could read it, but it definitely wasn't for him. I wonder how he came across it." James said, looking thoughtful for a moment. Rose nodded subconsciously and scribbled some notes on her parchment.

"You know Sindra," Rose began, reading over the notes she had taken. "I'm willing to bet his name wasn't Reginald." Sindra raised an eyebrow.

"But it has to be, my grandmama said she named my dad after him." She said. Rose smiled over at her.

"But your grandmother is a muggle, isn't she? I bet she only ever called him Reggie, and never thought to ask if his name wasn't Reginald." Rose said nonchalantly, as if anybody could have figured that out.

"Was it Regulus?" Albus asked. The whole group turned to stare at him. He grinned and showed the the page he was on, pointing at the Slytherin Quidditch team in 1977.

'Regulus A. Black, Seeker.'

"Yeah, that looks right." Scorpius said. "I think I've heard that name before, too." Sindra stared down at her grandfather's name, wondering wildly what he had been like.

"You know," James started, leaning back in his chair. "I think there was a necklace with that letter." Rose looked over at him, confused.

"Why would there be a necklace there?" She asked. But before James could respond, Sindra jumped out of her seat again.

"A necklace! He left a necklace!" She said, pulling on the chain around her neck to produce the silvery orb her grandmother had given her. She held it out, showing it to the group. They all leaned in closer to examine it.

"How many girlfriends did this guy have?" James questioned, but was shoved aside by Albus.

"That's beautiful, Sin. Did he give it to your nan?" Albus asked, smiling. Sindra nodded, admiring it.

"May I see it, Sin?" Rose asked, holding out her hand. Sindra nodded and removed it from around her neck, and hand the orb the Rose. "Interesting…" She said, holding it up to the candlelight. "Albus, doesn't this look like-" Rose gasped. The others jumped in their seats, surprised. "SINDRA! Read out that letter again!"

"Okay, but why?" Sindra asked, reaching down into her bag to retrieve the letter. She held it out in front of her.

"Just do it!" Rose said, still squinting at the necklace.

"By the time you read this-" Sindra started, but Rose waved her free hand frantically.

"Not that line, go to the end. The line about the memories." She said. Sindra began again.

"All I have to leave you are my memories, watch over them. Don't forget me." She said, watching to see Rose's reaction. Rose seemed to be bursting at the seams with excitement.

"Memories!" She said, jumping up and down and pointed at the necklace. "These are his memories!" She almost yelled, causing the Librarian to shush her loudly. "Memories!" She whispered, waving her apologies to the Librarian. At first, the others just stared at her blankly, unsure of why she was getting so excited. Then, one by one, the three boys faces' lit up.

"Bloody Hell!" Scorpius said, getting to his feet and walking around the table to get a closer look at the necklace. Albus just sat there in awe, staring off into the distance. James squinted over at the orb.

"Damn, those do look like memories. Why didn't I catch that?" He said to himself. Sindra, however, was even more confused than ever.

"What on earth are you guys talking about?" She asked, taking her necklace back from Rose. Rose was beaming at her, eyes glinting with exhilaration.

"If I'm right," She started, "We can show you."


	12. Chapter 12

"What do you mean, you can show me?" Sindra asked, watching as the rest of her friends began to pack up their things and leave the library. She hastily threw the few things she had taken out of her bag back into it and followed them. Rose, who was skipping ahead in the front of the group, turned around to face Sindra.

"We'll explain when we get there, don't worry!" She said enthusiastically, turning away again and almost sprinting down the hall. Albus and James followed her closely, but Scorpius hung back with Sindra, who was still trying to zip up her bag as she attempted to keep up.

"I don't want to spoil the surprise for you," he started, smirking. "But I think you're really gonna like it." Sindra glanced over at him, picking up speed so she could catch up with the others.

"You guys have done some confusing stuff, but I think this takes the cake." She said, panting. The group turned down to the staircase leading to the dungeons, and made their way to the potions classroom. As they approached it, Rose knocked on the door.

"Just one moment!" they heard from the other side, and after a minute or so, the door opened and Professor Slughorn stood in front of them. "Ah, if it isn't the Potters! Well come on in, come on in! What brings you in to see me on this chilly Sunday afternoon?" He boomed, beckoning them all to come inside.

"Well, Professor- we thought you'd be interested to know we think we figured out who Sindra's wizard relative is." Rose said, nodding her head towards Sindra, who was still out of breath from the run. Slughorn's face went from jolly to ecstatic in a matter of seconds.

"Ah, the elusive relative! Tell me, tell me! How are you related? Do I know them? Are they quite famous? What's their name?" He beamed at the group, looking as if he was about to burst at the seams. Rose looked over at Sindra, who stared back questioningly for a second before realizing Rose wanted her to respond.

"Oh," Sindra began, grasping her necklace. "It's my grandfather, his name is Regulus Black." She finished. For a moment, there was complete silence. Slughorn raised one of his eyebrows, and then crumbled both of them, deep in thought. Before he said anything to them, he turned and walked to the back of the classroom, towards a cabinet with pictures and cards completely covering it. The group stared awkwardly at each other as he rummaged through it, eventually picking up a picture frame and bringing it back to them. The group looked over at it, curiously.

"This is Regulus Black," he said, pointing at a handsome black-haired boy who was standing beside a much younger looking Slughorn, and in front of entire team of other Slytherin Quidditch players. He handed the photo to Sindra, who took it gingerly, staring down for the first time at her grandfather. The little Regulus in the photo cocked his head to the side curiously as he looked up at her. The others gathering around Sindra to look as well, Albus and Scorpius pushing each other aside trying to get a better look. Above them, Slughorn took in a deep breath. "Now are you sure he's your grandfather? I see a likeness for sure, but it does seem quite unlikely. He died a long time ago. He was only 18, as well."

"We think so," Sindra began, letting Rose take the picture from her and unzipping her bag to retrieve the letter from it. She gave the letter to the Professor and watched his face as he began to read it. "I copied that down from a letter my grandfather wrote to my grandmama. She told me he died soon after writing that." Slughorn read the letter a few more times before handing it back to Sindra. He took another deep breath in.

"I suppose it could be. He certainly did have quite a debt to pay." He said. Rose held out the photo for him to take, but Slughorn shook his head and pointed towards Sindra. "Why don't you keep that picture? It seems silly to keep it hidden under all those other photos when I have a dear student who will cherish it." He smiled widely at Sindra, who took and picture from Rose and hugged it against her chest.

"Thank you, Professor." She said, smiling to herself. James, who had been staring off into space thoughtfully, turned to Slughorn.

"Professor, what did you mean by 'he certainly had a debt to pay'?" James asked. Slughorn grin faltered slightly, but then widened again.

"Why don't you take a seat?" He said, waving his wand through the air swiftly and producing six chairs. "This is quite the tale." The five of them sat and listened to the history of Regulus Black until the sun began to set. When Slughorn finished the story, he stood up and paced around the room. The group all looked at Sindra, who was staring at her feet wistfully. "So, you see…" Slughorn continued, "It seems unlikely to me that he would have been in love with a muggle all the while." Everyone sat silently waiting for another to speak. Rose glanced over at Sindra again, suddenly remembering why they came to Slughorn in the first place.

"But Professor," she began, getting to her feet as well. She walked over to Sindra and put her hand on her shoulder softly. "We have his memories." Slughorn, who had been looking downcast at the frosty window, turned suddenly and faced them.

"You have his memories?" He said, beginning to walk back, a smile forming on his face. Rose nodded, and carefully pulled the necklace from around Sindra's neck. She held it out the the Professor, who took it, squinting at the glass orb filled with the slithering silver strings. His grin widened even further as he lifted the orb up to examine it closer. He turned and started walking towards the back of the classroom once more, this time to the other side. He waved his wand at wall, and the stones began to fold outward, revealing a stone basin filled with misty liquid. The children followed him and surrounded the basin, Sindra looking as confused as ever.

"Professor, what is that?" She asked, curiously. Slughorn looked down at her, chuckling softly.

"That, my dear, is a pensieve." He replied, holding the glass orb in his hand carefully. He waved his wand above the orb, and the group watched in awe as the silver strands lifted slowly through the glass and into the air above. With another flick of his wand, Slughorn brought the strings down into the basin, where they immediately began to swirl around gracefully. Sindra could hear voices whisper up through the mist, and as she peered down into it, she could see the figure of what seemed to be a little girl skipping down a riverbank.

"Shall we go?" Slughorn said, beckoning them all toward the basin. Sindra was nervous, but as she looked around at her friends, she saw them all leaning in eagerly- as if they were going to dive right into the cloudy liquid. Rose reached out for her hand, and she took it gratefully. And then, without warning, Sindra found herself being pulled into the mist. Sindra kept her eyes clamped shut as she fell through the basin. She could feel wind rushing past her face, but didn't dare open her eyes- instead only squeezing Rose's hand harder. All of a sudden, she came to an unnaturally graceful halt.

"Look around, Sin." Rose said, pulling on Sindra's arm softly. Sindra opened her eyes, and looked up to a blue sky and overhanging tree branches. She sat up, and looked around. The six of them were beside a small river, green grass blowing silently with the breeze. There were a few trees lining the waterside, and houses a few hundred meters away. Over by the bank, there was a small black-haired boy of about nine playing with some rocks. The group got to their feet and walked over to the boy, who upon closer inspection, seemed to pointing a wand and the rocks in front of him. Slughorn chuckled down at him.

"He certainly looks like Regulus, doesn't he?" He said, walking around the boy in an attempt to get a better look at his face. Sindra, who had been about to hush her teacher, looked confused when the boy didn't seem to notice his presence. Scorpius laughed.

"He can't see any of us, Sin. This is his memory." He said, walking over to Sindra and flashing her a wide grin. Sindra's eyes widened.

"We're _inside _his memories?" She asked, spinning around to take in her surroundings again. "Magic is so bloody cool!" She added, watching the boy more closely now. He was still pointing the wand at the small rocks, whispering to himself. A couple feet away, a small blonde girl was skipping down the banks, dragging a long stick along behind her. The boy, not seeming to notice, said confidently out loud, "Wingardium Leviosa!" and with a wave of his wand, one of the rocks flew up into the air. The girl, who was now standing next to Professor Slughorn, stared at the boy with intrigue. She watched as he carefully pushed the rock over the water, and moved it around in circles.

"That's cool, can you teach me?" She said suddenly, dropping her stick and coming closer to the boy. The boy jumped up and sent the rock flying across the river- landing with a soft _plop_ in the water. He turned to her, cowering away.

"Who are you?!" He said, pointing the wand directly at the girl. The girl giggled and sat down beside him, not caring that he still held the wand to her.

"My name is Oriana. What's yours?" She replied, her small blonde curls bouncing beside her head as she got comfortable beside him. The boy was silent for a few seconds, and then lowered his wand.

"Reg-" he began, hesitating slightly. "Ggie. Reggie." He finished, rolling his eyes to himself. Oriana giggled again.

"That's cool! I have an uncle named Reginald, too!" She said, picking up a rock next to her and throwing it into the river. Regulus stared at her, unsure of what to do.

"Good for you." He finally responded, pocketing his wand.

"So how'd you make that rock float, then?" Oriana asked. Regulus grimaced, turning away from her.

"I can't tell you that. It's top secret. And you're just a muggle, anyway." He replied, getting to his feet and beginning to walk away. Oriana bounced up after him, strolling behind him.

"I bet you can tell me. But that's okay, I'll just ask my mama to ask your mama." She said happily. Regulus stopped dead in his tracks, and Oriana crashed directly into him. The two of them toppled to the ground together, Oriana rolling off to the side, giggling. Regulus glared at her.

"You can't tell your mum about this." He said seriously, sitting up. Oriana followed suit, and stuck out her tongue.

"Well I will unless you show me how you did it!" She said, crossing her arms. Regulus scoffed. Oriana, however, got to her feet and held out her hand to him. "Sorry for running into you, by the way. You stopped really fast." Regulus stared up at the girl, a small smile creeping onto his face. He took her hand, got up, and dusted himself off.

"Okay then, I'll show you. But you have to promise never to tell anybody, _ever._" He said, looking very serious. Oriana just smiled, holding out her pinky.

"I pinky promise!" She said, waiting for Regulus to lock pinkies with her. He stared at her for a good few seconds before sighing loudly and taking her pinky in his. Oriana grinned wildly, and the two of them began walking back to the bank beneath the large tree.

"Now don't get too excited," He said, taking out the wand again and pointing it at a rock beside the river. "Only witches and wizards can do this, and you're just a muggle." Oriana nodded enthusiastically, and watched as Regulus once again lifted the rock into the air. She clapped and jumped up and down, and Regulus lowered the rock, turning to her with a wide smirk on his face.

"That's just so cool!" She exclaimed, picking up the rock and examining it. "I always knew magic was real!" She added, looking very pleased with herself. Regulus laughed. He was just about to respond to her when the two of them heard a voice from a few yards away.

"Oi, Regg, you 'round here?" The voice called out, and Regulus stiffened.

"Go hide!" Regulus whispered frantically at Oriana, who did not comply.

"Why?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Just then, and tall boy with messy black hair walked up to the younger two. He stared with interest at Oriana, who waved at him.

"Did you make a friend there, Regg?" The boy asked, walking over to Regulus and ruffling his hair. "Don't know how well mum would react if she found out you were hanging with muggles." Regulus was about to retort when Oriana piped in.

"Oh, but I'm not a muggle. I'm a witch." She said. Regulus stared blankly at her, but the older boy smiled.

"Oh, well that's different then. Anyway Regg, did you take my wand again? You know you aren't supposed to do magic yet. You haven't even started school." The boy said. Regulus groaned and pulled out the wand he had been using, giving it to the older boy.

"Yeah, alright. Sorry, Sirius." Regulus replied. Sirius stowed away the wand in his pocket and began to walk away.

"Don't worry about it. Make sure you're home before dark though, or mum will have a fit." Sirius said, having turned to wave his goodbyes to the two of them. Once Sirius was out of earshot, Regulus let out a long sigh. Oriana walked up beside him quietly.

"Was that your big brother?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, it was." He said. Regulus turned to look at Oriana, who was smiling sweetly at him. "Thanks for that." He murmured, turning away- his cheeks pink.

"No problem!" Oriana replied. "Do you wanna meet here tomorrow? I want to watch you do some more magic." She asked, bending over to pick up her stick that she had dropped long before. Regulus thought for a moment, and then nodded.

"I won't be able to do magic without my brother's wand, but I could tell you stories." He said, and watched as her face lit up with delight.

"I love stories! I can't wait!" She said, and dragging the stick behind her once more, she skipped off. "See you tomorrow, Reggie!" She called back to him. Regulus watched as she got smaller and smaller before turning down a road and out of sight.

"That girl…" He said to himself, beginning to walk in the other direction down the riverside. Sindra watched as the the scene spun into smoke, and shapes and figures began shifting before her eyes.

"What's going on?" She asked, cowering towards Albus and Scorpius. Slughorn let out a small chuckle.

"Nothing to worry about, my dear. That memory has ended, and we are moving on to the next." He said, smiling. Sindra gazed around, intrigued by the swirling mist. Soon, the world solidified and brought the group to a road with little shops and stores lining the street. A much taller Regulus stood before them, leaning against a wall outside a ice cream parlor. He looked about 14 now, and wore long black pants and a dark green shirt. He was very standoffish, giving glares to every passing person, until a slender girl with large blonde curls and a short pink dress walked up to him.

"Hi, Reggie!" She said, copying his stance and leaning dramatically against the wall. Regulus laughed, and stood up straight.

"You muggles sure dress strange nowadays," He started, beginning to walk down the street slowly. Oriana giggled and hooked her arm around his, causing him to look down at his feet, cheeks red. He recovered quickly, however, shaking his messy hair and pointing at a man in his mid-twenties who was walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the street. "Look at that one, his pants have stripes." Regulus and Oriana both started laughing, before turning down a small alley that brought them to the next road over.

"So where are you taking me today?" Oriana asked. "I don't think you'd come this deep into muggle territory without a plan." She added, giving him a wide grin. Regulus returned the smile, and ran his hand through his hair. They walked to a nearby bus stop, where Regulus sat down. Oriana raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?" She asked, crossing her arms. Regulus leaned back and showed her two bus tickets in his hand.

"Waiting for the bus." He said, pretending not to notice her confused look.

"Where did you get those tickets? You've said yourself you don't have any muggle money." Regulus's smirk faltered slightly but he quickly laughed it off.

"Magic." He said simply, watching with pleasure as Oriana pouted, sitting down next to him. The two waited patiently for the bus, which came just a few minutes later. Regulus gave the tickets to the bus driver, and they sat down next to each other in the front of the bus. It took off, and Regulus teased Oriana about her dress for a few minutes. "I just thought you didn't like pink," He said, as the bus driver slowed to a halt at the next stop.

"We have now arrived at Saint Mary's Church, Islington." The bus driver said through a microphone. Oriana looked down at her dress and sighed.

"Well, I don't mind it too much. I do wish mama would let me chose my own clothes, though." She replied, leaning into the window, slightly downcast. Regulus poked her shoulder softly.

"Oi, don't look so glum. You look nice." He said. Oriana faced him and giggled. She then chose to lean against him, instead of the window. Regulus's cheeks turned bright pink, and he took in a deep breath. Oriana lay against him for a few minutes before sitting up again and looking out the window again.

"Where are we going, Reggie?" She started, squinting at one of the passing signs. "Are we in Clerkenwell?" Regulus looked out the window, and nodded.

"Looks like it. We'll be there soon, then." He said, running his hands unconsciously through his hair. Oriana stared at him.

"Are you taking me to visit the Queen?" She teased, and Regulus chuckled.

"Even better." He said, grinning.

"Better than the Queen!? Blasphemy!" Oriana laughed.

"Now approaching, Charing Cross." The bus driver said, and Regulus got to his feet.

"Well, this is it." He said, holding out his hand for Oriana to take. She smiled and took it, getting to her feet as well.

"I thought you said you weren't taking me to see the Queen," Oriana said, jumping down onto the sidewalk. Regulus followed her, and they began walking down Charing Cross Road, still hand in hand.

"I'm not." Regulus said, pulling her towards a bookstore called 'Charing Cross Books' and then waiting to cross the road.

"You know if this isn't better than meeting the Queen, I'll be very angry." Oriana giggled, and let herself be pulled across the street.

"Shush, I already said it was." Regulus replied. "We're here." Oriana stared at the building in front of her.

"What, a old run-down shop?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at Regulus.

"You have to promise me not to give yourself away," Regulus began, his tone much more serious than before. Oriana still looked confused.

"Okay…?" She said, unsure of how to react.

"Do you pinky promise?" Regulus said, just as serious. Oriana giggled softly and they interlocked pinkies. And just like that, Regulus pulled her into the Leaky Cauldron.


	13. Chapter 13

Oriana looked around the dark pub, eyes squinting from the sudden change. Squeezing her hand tightly, Regulus pulled her through the tables and their inhabitants, who Oriana hadn't seemed to notice were a bit odder than usual folk. They went out into the back and was greeted by a brick wall. Regulus turned to Oriana.

"Remember, act normally." He said, and before Oriana could respond, he tapped the bricks in front of him counterclockwise with his wand. The bricks folded away into themselves to reveal a long cobblestone path with little shops lining it, filled with the bustling of people. Regulus started nonchalantly down the road, and slowly but surely Oriana began to grasp where she was. Still holding Regulus's hand, she spun her head around wildly to look at all the things they passed. Regulus glanced at her, smiling to himself. Her face was shining brightly, and she turned to look up at Regulus.

"Is this what I think it is?" She asked, beaming at him. He nodded, and noticed there was an added bounce in her step.

"So, where do you want to go first? There's a sweet-shop I rather like down that way," He pointed down a small turnoff in the road. Oriana grinned.

"What's your favorite place here?" She asked, letting her gaze be distracted by the 'Magical Menagerie' which had some tap-dancing black cats on display in the windows. Regulus thought for a moment before answering.

"Alright, how does ice cream sound?" He asked, taking her towards a place labeled 'Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.' She giggled.

"Okay! But what's the difference between muggle ice cream and magical ice cream?" She asked, following him through the door into the small parlour. "Oooohhh!" She exclaimed, marvelling at the countless flavours of ice cream that almost seemed to line the walls of the small shop. A middle-aged man with a handlebar moustache gave them a fantastic smile.

"What will you two be having today?" He asked cheerfully, watching as Oriana looked over each and every one of his flavours.

"I'll just have a chocolate sundae." Regulus said, glancing over at Oriana who was leaning over the glass at one very pink tub of ice cream.

"And for your lady?" Florean asked, also watching Oriana gaze down lovingly through the glass. Regulus walked over to her and stared down at the ice cream she was looking at.

"Hibiscus rose, hmm?" He said. Oriana giggled.

"May I have some of that?" She asked, and as Florean nodded, she turned to Regulus. "I didn't want to order something too normal, but some of these flavours look frightening!" She said, and he laughed.

"I will admit I don't go for the more adventurous ones, either." Regulus replied, giving Florean some money before taking his very chocolatey sundae and Oriana's glass of hibiscus rose ice cream out to the table in front of the store. Oriana sat down beside him and took a spoonful of the pink cream.

"Oooh! I like this!" She said, immediately dipping her spoon in again for another taste. "It's so creamy!" She added, giggling with delight. Regulus grinned at her. They enjoyed their ice creams and talked for about half hour before Oriana had finally reached the bottom of her glass. She scooted her chair closer to his, and he eyed her curiously.

"Don't think I don't see you sneaking up on my sundae." He said, making Oriana blush and shake her head. Regulus raised an eyebrow. "If you aren't after my ice cream, why did you get closer?" Oriana's cheeked reddened even further.

"Oh… I was hoping you'd kiss me." She said, turning her head away shyly. Regulus's face turned bright red, but he smirked- running his hands through his messy hair.

"Hey," He said, leaning closer to her and gently pulling her to face him. He stared directly into her eyes for a few seconds before closing his eyes and leaning in further, pressing his lips into hers. Regulus slid his hand through Oriana's hair and brought her even closer, deepening their kiss ever-so-slightly.

"Ahh!"

A tall young woman with long dark curls had appeared out of nowhere and grasped Regulus's hair, pulling his head away from Oriana, who had jumped in her seat at the outcry. Within seconds, Regulus had taken out his wand and thrusted towards the neck of his assailant, stopping just before he jammed it into her throat.

"See, Cissy? I told you it was Regulus!" The woman said, still holding Regulus's head back with a tight grasp on his hair. A blonde girl who looked about 19 years of age walked up to the two of them, and stared at Regulus, who sneered at her.

"Oh, I guess you were right." The girl said. Oriana, who had been completely dumbstruck at the appearances of these girls, sat in shock, staring desperately at Regulus to do something. The tall dark woman let go of Regulus's hair, and he lowered his wand in turn.

"What do you want, Bellatrix?" He asked, still sneering. Bellatrix's eyes gleamed evilly, and she rounded on Oriana.

"Is this your little plaything? She doesn't really look your type. What do you think, Cissy?" Bellatrix said, walking around Oriana to get a better look at her. The blonde girl turned her head to the side, following Bellatrix.

"She looks too… flowery." The girl said, making Bellatrix laugh. Regulus glared at the two of them.

"You can leave, now." He said darkly, clenching his grip on his wand.

"Oh, no! Not until we find out all about her!" Bellatrix began, closing in on Oriana and stroking her hair. Oriana grimaced and pulled away, shaking slightly.

"She doesn't speak english, Bellatrix. How do you plan on questioning her?" Regulus said, glancing reassuringly towards Oriana, whose eyes widened.

"No english?" The blonde girl asked, coming closer and prodding Oriana in the back of the head.

"No, Narcissa. Not a word." Regulus replied, and as he did so, Sindra heard Scorpius squeak. She turned to look at him, curiously. Scorpius, who was now even more pale-faced than usual, was staring at Narcissa. In front of them, the scene continued.

"How do you talk to her, then?" Narcissa asked, raising an eyebrow. Regulus smirked.

"Our relationship is purely physical." He said, grinning widely. Narcissa grimaced, but Bellatrix laughed.

"Oho! But that doesn't get you off so clean, Regg. At least tell us her name." Bellatrix said, spinning her wand in the air to produce a chair, which she sat upon. Regulus sighed.

"Nathalie Durand, pure-blood from Beauxbatons. She's on holiday here for the summer. Now, leave." Regulus said, getting to his feet.

"Ah, tu parles francais?" Narcissa asked, taking a seat as well. Oriana smiled fakely.

"Oui, bien sur! Comment tu t'appelles?" She said sweetly, in a spotless french accent.

"Je m'appelle Narcissa," Narcissa said, but Bellatrix groaned, and stood up.

"She sure sounds frenchy, anyway. Fine, we'll leave you to your snogging." She said, and beckoned Narcissa to follow her.

"Bye, Regulus! Au revoir, Nathalie!" Narcissa called back at them, before scurrying off behind Bellatrix. Oriana let out a long sigh. Regulus sat back down and leaned on the table, covering his face with his hands. Oriana stared at him, not saying a word.

"We can leave, if you want." Regulus finally said, leaning back in his chair and looking up at the sky. Oriana reached over and squeezed his hand gently.

"But we haven't gone to that sweet-shop, yet." She said, smiling over at him. He turned to her, surprised.

"Shouldn't you be angry with me?" He said. Oriana got the her feet, and started walking back towards the sweet-shop they had passed earlier. Regulus followed her quickly, taking her hand in his.

"I do have a question about that name of yours," She said, giggling softly. Regulus bit his lip.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Would you prefer me to call you Regulus?" She asked plainly.

"Wha-? That's all? Where's the 'why didn't you tell me your name was really Regulus' and 'we obviously aren't in a purely physical relationship, you prick'?" He asked incredulously. Oriana laughed, turning to him.

"Maybe it's because I like you," She said, kissing him swiftly on the cheek. Regulus turned pink, and smirked.

"Actually," He started, opening the door to the sweetshop for her, "I prefer you to call me Reggie. Regulus... is an entirely different guy." He finished, taking in a deep breath. Oriana smiled at him.

"I'm sure deep down, you're both the same." She said, leaving him standing there as she went and admired a display with chocolate frogs hopping down a miniature racetrack. The scene around them began to dissolve into smoke again. Before they knew it, the sky had blackened and they stood before the steps of a large white four story townhome, which a 16-year-old Regulus sat upon. He was wearing a dark cloak and was only visible by the lights coming from the windows of the mansion. There were very loud audible screams coming from inside the home, and with each passing second, Regulus seemed more uncomfortable.

"ORIANA, WE JUST CANNOT PERMIT THIS!" Came a booming voice from inside the home, which made Regulus twitch.

"HE ISN'T DANGEROUS, PAPA!" Came Oriana's voice, closely followed a series of various loud noises.

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" The booming voice said again. "What are you doing!?" The voice was just as angry and seemed less loud, but much closer.

"I'm leaving. I'm not going to meet with that Bates fellow and I refuse to be your dainty little puppet any longer!" Oriana yelled, opening the front door. The group now saw that she was wearing jeans and a light blue blouse, and her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"Oriana, please-" Her father began, but the door was slammed in his face.

"Let's go, Reggie." Oriana said, walking down the steps and through the front gate. Regulus stood and followed her, eyes down. After a few minutes of walking down the road, Regulus sighed.

"Ori…" Regulus said, grasping her wrist and pulled her back towards him. Oriana stopped and looked up at him. Regulus didn't look the same as he had done at 14, he looked much more worn out and solemn, his eyes seemed darker and tired. "You know he's right." Regulus said. Oriana glared at him for a moment, before her eyes teared up. She hugged him, beginning to cry into his chest. Regulus stood still for a moment before holding her closer and leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

"Reggie…" She whimpered through her tears. "You wouldn't hurt me, would you?" Regulus stared down into the top of her head, thinking.

"I don't think there's a way I can't, anymore." He said, hugging her even tighter. Oriana wiped her tears on her sleeve and looked up into Regulus's face.

"Why can't… why can't they just let us be?" She asked, her whole body shaking. Regulus carefully brought her to a nearby bench beneath a lone street lamp, where they sat and she leaned against him, holding his hand tightly. It was a few minutes before either of them spoke. "Does this mean that I can't see you again?" She asked, new tears rolling down her cheeks. Regulus clenched his free fist until his knuckles turned white.

"Yes." He said, glancing over at his left arm. Oriana looked up at him, her face wet.

"I'll still love you." She said. Regulus smiled, and kissed her softly.

"I will always love you." He said, tears now beginning to well up in his eyes, as well. Oriana giggled softly and held out her hand.

"You pinky promise?" She asked. Regulus chuckled and wrapped her pinky in his.

"Pinky promise." He replied, pulling her into a tight hug. "I should get you back home, it's late." Oriana sniffled and the two of the stood up, walking slowly arm in arm, Oriana still leaning against him. When they finally reached Oriana's home again, Regulus walked her up the stairs and to the door.

"Am I really never going to see you again?" Oriana asked, looking at her feet. Regulus bit his lip.

"If you are ever in danger, go to Grimmauld Place. I'll come for you." He said. Oriana nodded, and kissed him.

"Goodbye, Oriana." Regulus said, his voice breaking slightly. Oriana kissed him again.

"Goodbye, Reggie."

The world around them swirled once more, and Sindra could hear sniffling coming from behind her.

"Rose, are you crying?" James asked, astounded. Rose slapped him on the shoulder and came over to Sindra, hugging her. Sindra patted her friend on the head.

"Be nice, James." Albus said. "That was pretty hard to watch."

The world swirled into view again, this time they were inside a very dark bedroom, in which Regulus, about 18, sat at a small desk writing a letter with the light of a single candle. There was a lone open window overlooking a dirty street, the night just as dark as the last. At first glance it seemed that there was nobody else around, but soon the group heard footsteps echoing down the road. Regulus had also noticed the footsteps, and glanced out his window. The figure was hunched over and swaying slightly back and forth, and as it grew closer, they realized it was Oriana. Her hair was shorter than it had been before, and she was dressed up quite nicely. She wore a long silk gown and a light fur coat, and seemed to be holding one of her shoes while wearing the other. As she came near the houses, she sat down the curb and took her remaining shoe off, setting them both down beside her. After a few moments, she began to cry. Regulus, who was staring at her just like the rest of the group, got to his feet. He quickly reread the letter he had finished writing, folded it into a small square, and fitted it inside a locket that was resting beside his quill.

"Oh," James said, eyeing the locket. "You guys see that?" He said, pointing at the golden necklace. The group nodded, and followed Regulus out of his room and down a few flights of stairs. He hesitated as he passed a cabinet displaying fine jewelry, and he swiftly opened one of the drawers beneath the glass casings and procured a small glass orb. He nodded to himself subconsciously, and then proceeded out the door. When the door opened, Oriana looked around, eyes wide. Regulus strode over to her, and without saying a word, sat down beside her. Oriana couldn't keep her eyes off him. Regulus looked up at the stars, and held out his hand. Oriana, her makeup ruined from crying, took his hand, and interlocked her fingers in it, a large diamond ring glistening in the moonlight.

"Are you alright?" Regulus finally said, his voice calm and cool, but sincere. Oriana shook her head.

"I'm getting married tomorrow." She said, a few teardrops falling onto her lap. Regulus nodded slowly, and looked over at her. He seemed to be fighting with himself, his cool face wavering more and more the longer he looked at her. Turning away, he let out a deep breath. They sat in silence for a minute. "Reggie…" Oriana begged, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. Regulus glanced back, his hands beginning to shake.

"Don't…" He said, turning away once more. "I can't." Oriana sniffled, and slowly, her legs quivering, got to her feet. Regulus did the same, still avoiding her gaze. Oriana slowly loosened her grip on Regulus's hand, and slipped silently in front of him.

"Look at me," She said, reaching up to touch the side of his face lightly. Regulus, unable to prevent it for any longer, looked down into Oriana's eyes. He let out a tremoring breath, and his face softened.

"You're even more beautiful than I remember." He said, running his hands up her arms before wiping the tears away from her face. Oriana giggled weakly, and without warning, kissed him. Trembling, Regulus pulled her closer in the kiss, lifting her upward slightly as he did so. When their lips parted, Regulus leaned his forehead into hers, his eyes still closed.

"I love you..." He breathed, holding her even closer. They stood there together for a few minutes, before Regulus surveyed the street around them. "I'll walk you home. It's not safe, anymore." He said, and Oriana nodded sadly, picking up her shoes. It was a good 10 minute walk, but neither Oriana nor Regulus said anything on the way. It wasn't until they reached the front of the large white mansion when Oriana spoke once more.

"Come in with me." She said, walking up the steps to the front door. Regulus shook his head.

"I can't do that." He said. Oriana stepped down to Regulus, who had waited at the bottom step. She leaned in closely and ran her lips up slowly Regulus's neck until she reached his ear.

"Please," She whispered softly, her hands running through his hair. Regulus stood completely frozen, his mouth open slightly, his cheeks flushed. Suddenly, he grasped her wrist and pulled her up through the doorway, taking his wand out with his other hand. He brought her swiftly to the room he already knew to be hers, and closed the door behind them. He pointed his wand at the doorway.

"Muffliato." He said, and turned to face Oriana, who had sat upon her bed. Regulus walked over to her, slowly. He bent down and kissed her, running his hands up her legs and pushing her back onto the bed as he did so. He was hovering over her now, his hands reaching-

"OOOOOKAY, I think that's all we need to see!" Slughorn said, spinning his wand furiously, sended the group of them spiraling out of the memory. They were all back in the Potions classroom, lying on the cool stone floors. Slughorn, however, was on his feet already, leaning over the dark window, where a little brown sparrow sat nuzzled upon the inside of the windowsill.

"Well, I guess Regulus is really your granddad." James said, sitting up. The other sat up as well, all staring over at Sindra.

"Yeah, I guess so." She replied.


End file.
